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The Book of Terms

The Book of TermsThe WJI Book of Wire & Cable Terms: an interactive experience of learning and sharing
This book, written by industry volunteers and containing more than 5,000 entries, is an asset for newcomers to wire and cable.

At the same time, it also represents an opportunity for industry veterans to give back by either updating or adding to the more than 5,000 entries. This is an honor system process. Entries/updates must be non-commercial, and any deemed not to be so will be removed. Share your expertise as part of this legacy project to help those who will follow. Purchase a printed copy here.

   

 

All   0-9   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

RH/RW

Designation for rubber-insulated, heat and moisture resistant building wire, 75°C (167°F) dry, 60°C (140°F) wet.

Rheology

The science of the flow and deformation of matter.

Rheostat

A variable resistor, which can be varied while energized, normally one used in a power circuit. For example, an electrical test instrument to determine how much voltage an insulated wire will withstand before breakdown.

RHM

Designation for rubber-insulated multiple conductors, heat resistant and overall fibrous covered.

RHML

Designation for rubber-insulated multiple conductors, heat resistant and overall lead-covered.

Rho

The seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet, used symbolically to represent various coefficients, principally resistivity or specific resistance.

Rhodium

Element, chemical symbol Rh. A silver-white metal found in nickel deposits.

RHW

Designation for a rubber- or XLP-insulated building wire for use at 75°C (167°F) in dry and wet locations.

RHW-2

Designation for a rubber- or XLP-insulated building wire for use at 90°C (194°F) in dry and wet locations.

Ribbon

An array of fibers formed into a flat tape arrangement. There can be 2 to 16 fibers in a ribbon. The fibers are held together by means of a binder or matrix coating. Ribbons are used to increase the number of fibers in a cable.

Ribbon Blenders

A mechanical device for blending plastics into compounds for insulating materials. Basically, ribbon blenders consist of two helical ribbons of steel attached to a horizontal shaft and enclosed in a trough-like horizontal mixing chamber. The impellers revolve together at speeds of between 15 and 60 rpm depending upon the size of the blender.

Ribbon Cable

A flat cable of individually insulated conductors lying parallel. The insulated conductors can be individually extruded then held together by means of adhesive or woven textile yarn, or the bare conductors can be fed into an extrusion head where the insulating material is extruded such that the conductors are kept separate from each other.

Ribbon Weave

Used for filter cloth, often in copper alloy wire. The warp consists of ribbon wire and the weft is of hard round wire. See Weaving Wire and Woven Wire Mesh.

Ridge Marker

One or more ridges running laterally along the outer surface of plastic insulated wire for purposes of identification. Readily perceptible to sight and touch, they are formed by minute notching of the extrusion die.

Rigid Bay

Cabling equipment that maintains component sequence and can produce cables with distinct layers by operating two or more rigid bay cables in tandem.

Rigid Coaxial Cable

Non-flexible coaxial cable, usually a metal tube armored coaxial cable.

Rigid Conduit

A tube with certain standardized length and combinations of outside diameter and wall thickness greater than Electrical Metallic Tubing. Commonly designated by nominal sizes corresponding to those of A.S.A. Schedule 40 Pipe, for use with thread-type fittings as a protection for electrical wiring.

Rigid Strander

Machine for stranding wire and cable.

Rigid Wave Guide

A type of coaxial cable. A metal form that uses air as a dielectric.

Rimmed Steel

Low carbon steel that has not completely deoxidized. As the molten steel cools in the mold, the excess oxygen causes decarburization at the solidification interface. This results in an essentially pure-iron, very ductile shell on the ingot. This shell remains throughout the rolling and wiredrawing operations, yielding a wire with excellent forming properties. Rimmed steels cannot be produced on continuous casters used today, but steelmaking advances have allowed killed steels to be produced with similar properties.
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