Technical Information
Military Shipboard Catalog
Glossary
Abrasion Resistance: Ability of a
wire, cable or material to resist
surface wear.
American Wire Gauge (AWG): A
standard North American system for
designating wire diameter
Bandwidth: (1) The difference between
the upper and lower limits of a given
band of frequencies. Expressed in
Hertz. (2) A measure of the maximum
frequency range over which light
intensity exiting a waveguide one
kilometer in length can be varied
before the attenuation varies 3dB from
the mean. The greater the bandwidth,
the greater the information carrying
capacity. Bandwidth is expressed in
Megahertz (MHZ)=D0Kilometer
(km).
Accelerated Aging: A test in which
voltage, temperature, etc. are
increased above normal operating
values to obtain observable
Ampacity: See Current Carrying capacity.
Ampere: The unit of current. One ampere
is the current flowing through one ohm
of resistance at one volt potential.
deterioration in a relatively short
period of time. The plotted results
give expected service life under
normal conditions.
Analog: A data format using continuous
physical variables such as voltage
amplitude or frequency variations.
ACM: Aluminum conductor material.
Anneal (Soften): Relief of mechanical
stress through heat and gradual
cooling. Annealing copper renders it
less brittle.
Bending Radius: Radius of curvature that
a cable can be safely bent without any
adverse effects.
Accelerator: A chemical additive that
hastens a chemical reaction under
specific conditions.
Binder: A spirally served tape used for
holding assembled cable components
in place awaiting subsequent
Admittance: The measure of the ease
with which an alternating current
flows in a circuit. The reciprocal
of impedance.
Armor: A protective metal covering
commonly in the form of flexible
interlocking aluminum, bronze, or steel
tape steel wires, or aluminum sheath.
manufacturing operations.
Bonding Conductor: An insulated or
uninsulated conductor forming part of
the cable assembly which is used for
the purpose of connecting non-current
carrying parts of electrical equipment
to a system grounding conductor.
AEIC: Association of Edison
ASTM: American Society for Testing and
Illuminating Companies
Materials.
Aerial Cable: A cable suspended in
the air on poles or another
overhead structure.
Attenuation: The general term used to
denote the decrease of power from one
point to another. In fiber optics, the
optical power loss per unit length is
expressed logarithmically in decibels
per kilometer (dB/km) at a specific
wavelength.
Braid: A fibrous or metallic group of
filaments interwoven in cylindrical
shape to form a covering over one or
more wires.
Aging: The change in properties of a
material with time under specific
conditions.
AIA: Aluminum Interlocked Armor.
Audio Frequency: The range of
frequencies audible to the human ear.
Usually 20-20,000 Hz.
Braid Angle: The smaller of the two
angles formed by the shielding strand
and the axis of the cable being
shielded.
Alloy: A metal formed by combining
two or more different metals to
obtain desirable properties.
AWM: Designation for appliance wiring
material.
Braid Carrier: A spool or bobbin on a
braider that holds one group of strands
or filaments consisting of a specific
number of ends. The carrier revolves
during braiding operations
Alternating Current: Electric current
that continually reverses its
Balanced Circuit: One utilizing cables
having two or more identical
direction. It is expressed in cycles
per second (hertz or Hz).
conductors with the same
electromagnetic characteristics in
relation to each other and to ground.
Ambient Temperature: The
temperature of the medium
surrounding an object. Generally a
lower temperature than the
temperature at which the cable is
operating.
Braid Ends: The number of strands used
to make up one carrier. The strands
are wound side-by-side on the carrier
bobbin and lie parallel in the finished
braid.
Band Marking: A continuous
circumferential band applied to a
conductor at regular intervals for
identification.
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