Technical Information
Military Shipboard Catalog
Glossary
Heat Shock: A test to determine stability of Inductance: The property of a circuit or
Jacket: An outer covering, usually
non-metallic, mainly used for
protection against the
a material by sudden exposure to a high
temperature for a short period of time.
circuit element that opposes a change in
current flow, thus causing current
changes to lag behind voltage changes. It
is measured in henrys.
environment.
Henry: The unit of inductance.
kcmil: One thousand circular mils
Hertz (Hz): A term replacing cycles-per-
Insulation: A material having good dielectric
properties permitting close assembly of
conductors in cable and equipment.
(MCM).
second as an indication of frequency.
KILO: A prefix denoting 1000 (103).
kV: Kilovolt (1000 volts).
Hi-Pot (High Potential): A test designated
to determine the highest voltage that
can be applied to a conductor without
breaking down the insulation (see
Dielectric Test).
Insulation Level: A designation used to
identify the insulation thickness required
to protect a high voltage cable under
ground fault conditions. Expressed as a
percentage (e.g. 100% level, 133% level).
Laminated Tape: A tape consisting of
two or more layers of different
materials bonded together (e.g.
aluminum/Mylar).Lay: The length
measured along the axis of a wire
or cable required for a single
strand (in stranded wire) or
High Voltage (HV): Generally, a wire or
cable with an operating voltage of over Insulation Shield (HV Cable): A two part
600 volts.
shield consisting of a non-metallic
component and a metallic component.
The first component is an extrusion of
black semi-conducting thermoset material
over the insulation which provides
uniform radial stress distribution across
Hook-Up Wire: A wire used for low
current, low voltage (under 1000 volts)
applications within enclosed electronic
equipment.
conductor (in cable) to make one
complete turn about the axis of the
conductor or cable.
the insulation. The second component is a Lay Direction: The twist in the cable
Hygroscopic: A material capable of
metallic shield which is typically copper
tape or wire that functions as a bonding
(grounding) conductor and/or a neutral
conductor. The metallic shield also serves
to conduct ground fault current in the
event of insulation failure. See also drain
wire.
as indicated by the top strands
while looking along the axis of the
cable away from the observer.
Described as right hand or left
hand.
absorbing moisture from the air.
Hypalon: Dupont's trade name for their
chlorosulfonated polyethylene, an
ozone resistant synthetic rubber.
Leakage Current: The undesirable
flow of current through or over the
surface of an insulation.
ICEA (formerly IPCEA): Insulated Cable
Engineers Association.
Insulation Stress: High voltage stress which
causes molecular separation in the
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics
insulation at sharp projections in the
conductor. Controlled by conductor and
insulation shielding, called a stress relief
shield. Measured in volts per mil.
Line Drop (Voltage Drop): A voltage
loss occurring between any two
points in a power circuit. Such
loss, or drop, is due to the
Engineers.
Impact Strength: A test for determining the
mechanical punishment a cable can
withstand without physical or electrical Interaxial Spacing: Center to center
breakdown by impacting with a given
weight, dropped a given distance, in a
controlled environment.
resistance, reactance, or leakage of
the circuit, type of cable and
configuration.
conductor spacing.
Interstices: Voids or valleys between
individual strands in a conductor or
between insulated conductors in a multi-
conductor cable, (intersticial spaces).
Line Voltage: The value of the
potential existing on a supply or
power line. Rated voltage of
cables.
Impedance: The total opposition that a
circuit offers to the flow of alternating
current or any other varying current at a
particula frequency. It is a combination Irradiation: In insulations, the exposure of
LOCA: Abbreviation for loss of
coolant accident, a system
malfunction associated with
nuclear generating stations.
of resistance R and reactance X,
measured in ohms.
the material to high energy emissions for
the purpose of favorably altering the
molecular structure by crosslinking.
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