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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.


 

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

Slab Shear

A shear for cutting a rolled ingot into slab lengths.

Slabbing Mill

A mill that rolls ingots into slab shapes.

Slag

A product resulting from the action of a flux on the nonmetallic constituents of a processed ore, or on the oxidized metallic constituents that are undesirable. Usually slags consist of combinations of acid oxides with basic oxides and neutral oxides, which are added to aid fusibility.

Slash Sheet

A specification sheet used by the military to detail exact construction of a given cable.

Slay

A part of a weaving loom which operates horizontally across the loom and beats the wire into position during cloth weaving. Also known as a sleigh, lay or batten.

Sleeve

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

Sling

The ropes or cables used for bundling materials that are to be lifted by a crane.

Slip

The metallurgical mechanism that explains the way in which grain structure of metals deform to allow wire to be drawn and strength to increase. Slip occurs as atomic dislocation within the metal crystal lattice along prescribed planes, much as a deck of cards spreads when pushed from the side. Since metals are polycrystalline (each grain is oriented in a different direction), slip occurs in a single grain until it encounters another grain. Slip is difficult in strong metals, and easy in soft metals.

Slip Band

A micro-structural feature showing as a series of parallel lines across individual crystals when a polished surface is deformed cold.

Slip Strip Process

Process used to generate a cold form redraw rod from a coiled sheet.

Slip, Wiredrawing

In wiredrawing machines, slip is the difference between the speed the capstan turns and the speed the wire is fed into the next die. When the capstan speed exceeds the wire speed, it is known as positive slip, which is required in certain machine designs. When the wire speed exceeds the capstan speed, the computed slip is negative. When the wire speed matches the capstan speed, the computed slip is zero. In a machine designed for zero slip, dancers are used after each capstan to control each capstan’s speed. When the computed slip is negative, the capstan does not pull the wire and the next capstan draws the wire through two dies, an undesirable condition that may cause a tension break the wire.

Slip-Type Machine

A type of wiredrawing machines in which the capstans are driven faster than the wire that skids over them.

Slippercoat

A surface lubricant applied to a cable to facilitate pulling and prevent jacket sticking.

Sliver

A defect that consists of a very thin elongated piece of metal attached to the parent metal. They may be generated by faults in rolling, forming or drawing as well as from the work/storage environment.

Slivery Wire

A condition that is caused by the wire rod fouling the guides and tubes during hot roll­ing and the rod becoming scored. The scoring is flattened into the rod at the following passes and eventually emerges as spills after elongation of the defect by further rolling. It can also be caused by the corners of square billets being turned over during the roughing stages of rod rolling.

Slot

A channel or opening. For example, the slot in the stator or rotor of a rotating machine for ventilation and the insertion of windings.

Slot Weave

Wire mesh weave also known as rectangular weave. Uses include sand screening and general chemical screening. Essentially the same as plain weave except that the spacing between warp wires differs from that between weft wires. See Weaving Wire and Woven Wire Mesh.

Slotting Machine

Used for forming the slot in the head of a screw. Usually incor­porates a device for removing any burr formed in the slotting operation.

Slug

Commonly refers to forging blanks. See Blank.

Slug Test

See Upsetting Test.

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