Wire And Cable Glossary Of Terms | B
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B & S Gauge
The same as American Wire Gauge (AWG).
Band Marking
A continuous circumferential band applied to a conductor at regular intervals for identification.
Band Width
The frequency range of electrical signals transmitted.
Banded Cable
Two or more cables banded together by stainless steel strapping.
Barrel-Packed
Method of coiling into a fiber drum for shipment.
BCF
Billion Conductor Feet. A quantity derived by multiplying the number of conductors in a cable by the amount of cable. Used to indicate plant capacity or an annual requirement.
Belt
Number of layers of insulation on a conductor or number of layers of jacket on a cable.
Belted-Type Cable
Multiple conductor cable having a layer of insulation over the assembled insulated conductors.
Bend Radius
The radius of the bend (usually designated as a multiple of product diameter) at which a wire product can be safely bent without significantly affecting its ability to function.
Bifilar
Made non-inductive by winding together (as one wire) two wires carrying current in opposite directions.
Bimetallic Wire
A wire formed of two different metals joined together (not alloyed). It can include wire with a steel core clad wire, plated or coated wire.
Binder
A spirally served tape or thread used for holding assembled cable components in place awaiting subsequent manufacturing operations.
Binding Post
A device for clamping or holding electrical conductors in a rigid position.
Bobbins
Metal spools used for taking up drawn wire and subsequently used for payout packages in cabling and stranding equipment.
Bond Strength
Amount of adhesion between bonded surfaces, e.g. in cemented ribbon cable.
Bondable Wire
An insulated wire treated to facilitate adherence to materials such as potting compounds. Also, magnet wires used in making coils when bonding the turns together is desired.
Bonded Cable
Cable consisting of pre-insulated conductors or multiconductor components laid in parallel and bonded into a flat cable. See Adhesive-Bonded.
Bonded Construction
An insulation construction in which the glass braid and nylon jacket are bonded together.
Booster
A device inserted into a line (or cable) to increase the voltage.
Boot
(1) Protective covering over a cable wire, or connector in addition to the normal jacketing or insulation. (2) A form placed around wire termination of a multiple-contact connector to contain the liquid potting compound before it hardens.
Braid
A fibrous or metallic group of filaments interwoven in a cylindrical shape to form a covering over one or more wires.
Braid Angle
The smaller of the two angles, formed by the shielding strand and, is the axis of the cable being shielded.
Braid Carrier
A spool or bobbin on a braid which holds one group of strands or filaments consisting of a specific number of ends. The carrier revolves during braiding operations.
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.
Braiding Machine
Machine used to apply braids to wire and cable and to produce braided sleeving and braids for tying or lacing purposes. Braiding machines are identified by the number of carriers.
Brake Wire
Wires used in the manufacture of both home and truck trailers to supply current to the electrical brake system.
Branch Circuit
The circuit conductors between the final overcurrent device protecting the circuit and the outlet(s).
Breakdown Voltage
The voltage at which the insulation between two conductors breaks down.
Bunched Stranding
A group of strands twisted together in a random manner and the same direction without regard to geometric arrangement of specific strands.
Buncher
A machine that twists wires together in random arrangement.
Bundle
A number of fiber optics grouped together, usually carrying a common signal.
Buried Cable
A cable installed directly in the earth without use of underground conduit. Also called Direct Burial Cable.
Bus
Wire used to connect two terminals inside of an electrical unit.
Bushing
A mechanical device used as a lining for an opening to prevent abrasion to wire and cable.
Butt
Joining of two conductors end-to-end, with no overlap and with the axes in line.
Butt Splice
A splice wherein two wires from opposite ends butt against each other, or against a stop, in the center of a splice.
Butt Wrap
Tape wrapped around an object or conductor edge-to-edge.
Byte
Typically a group of eight binary digits.