Society of Automotive Engineers

The vertical distance between a suspended conductor and an imaginary straight line connecting the points of suspension. Sag may be measured at the mid point between the suspensions, the lowest point of the conductor or at any specified point.

Secondary Insulation

Characteristic of a material whose flame is extinguished after the igniting flame source is removed.

Made with a steel support strand capable of supporting its own weight across spans.

A jacket having a sufficiently low resistance so that its outer surface can be kept at substantially ground potential.

A cable containing a flexible inner core and a relatively inflexible sheathing.

An insulation cross-section having a partially open space between the conductor and the insulation perimeter.

A nonconductive material made slightly conductive by the addition of a specific sum of conductive material.

A layer of insulating material which is placed between a conductor and its dielectric, between a cable jacket and the components it covers or between various components of a multiple-conductor cable.

A filament or group of filaments such as fibers or wires, wound around a central core.

A wrapping applied over the core of a cable or over a wire. Servings may be in the form of filaments, fibers, yarn, tape, etc. Often referred to as a binder.

The protective covering applied to cables. Also referred to as jacket.

A tape, serve or braid (usually copper, aluminum or conductive metal) placed around or between electric circuits or cables or their components, to prevent signal leakage or interference.

The amount of optical coverage, usually expressed percentage. For most cables the value runs between 85% and 90%.

The ability of a shield to screen out undesirable signals.

A load that occurs when an ungrounded conductor comes into contact with another conductor or grounded object.

A current used to convey information, either digital, analog, audio or video

Jacketing material made from silicone and oxygen. Noted for high heat resistance and excellent electrical properties plus ozone resistance, low moisture absorption, weather resistance and radiation resistance.

A silicone liquid treatment applied to insulated conductors to allow for easy jacket stripping.

Silver is similar to gold in corrosion resistance. It costs less than other precious metals. It is very soft when fully annealed but work hardens during fabrication. It provides very good conductivity and solderability. It is widely used as plating or coating.

Applying a material to a surface to fill pores.

Widely separated braid of fiber copper, or steel, used to hold core together, for reinforcing jacket or for shielding.

In an AC system, the tendency of the outer portion of a conductor to carry more of the current as the frequency of the AC increases.

A braided, knifed or woven tube used over wires or components as insulation tubing. Also called Sleeving.

A conductor consisting of a single wire.

A test preformed on wire and cable to determine the amount of pin holes or defects in the insulation.

Silver plated copper

The density (mass per unit volume) of any material divided by that of water at a standard temperature. Most insulations range in values of .9 to 1.9.

The ratio of the density (mass per unit volume) of a material to that of water.

A color-coding stripe applied helically to the surface of an insulated wire or cable.

the helical wrap of a material over a core; also referred to as a serve.

A connection of two or more conductors or cables to provide good mechanical strength as well as good conductivity.

A metallic compound added to PVC to maintain the integrity of the insulation compound during processing and use.

One of the wires, or groups of wires, of any stranded conductor.

The distance of advance of one strand of a spirally-stranded conductor, in one turn, measured axially.

A conductor composed of a group of wires, or of any combination of groups of wires. (Note: The wires in a stranded conductor are usually twisted or braided together.)

To remove insulation from a cable.

The ability of a conductor or cable insulation to resist degradation caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays.

The resistance of a material between two opposite sides of a unit square of its surface. Surface resistively may vary widely with the conditions of measurement.