GLOSSARY

Common Electrical Properties

Dielectric Strength: It refers to electrical strength of Insulating materials. It is the
measure of dielectric break down resistance of material. Expressed in KV/mm.
Volume Resistivity: It is the electrical resistance on an insulating material when
electric potential is applied between opposite faces. Measured in ohm-cm.
Surface Resistivity: It is the electrical resistance offered to surface current when
potential difference is applied between surface mounted electrodes. Measured in
ohm per square.
Relative Permitivity/ Dielectric Constant: It is the ratio of capacitance of a
capacitor with insulating material to the capacitance of same configuration of
electrodes in vacuum.
Dissipation Factor/ Tan : It is the angle by which the phase difference between
current and voltage deviates from 90o out of phase.
Arc Resistance: It is measure of time in seconds required to make an insulating
surface conductive under a high voltage, low current arc.
Comparative Tracking Index (CTI): Numerical value of voltage which specimen
withstands during the test period for 50 drops of electrolyte without progressive
formation of conducting paths.
Electrical Conductivity: Electrical conductivity is a measure of how well a
material accommodates the movement of an electric charge.
Electrical Resistivity: Electrical resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity.

Critical Properties
Tg. / HDT.: The heat deflection temperature or heat distortion temperature (HDT,
HDTUL, or DTUL) is the temperature at which a polymer or plastic sample deforms
under a specified load.
Cofficient of thermal expansion: All materials change their size when subjected
to a temperature change as long as the pressure is held constant. All substances
expand or contract when their temperature changes, and the expansion or
contraction always occurs in all directions.
Thermal cycling: During the Thermal Cycling process, materials are alternately
cooled and (sometimes) heated until they experience [molecular reorganization.
Mechanical properties: Strength, hardness, toughness, elasticity, plasticity,
brittleness, and ductility and malleability are mechanical properties used as
measurements of how metals behave under a load.
Thermal Stability: The ability of a material to resist changes in physical shape or
size as its temperature changes.
Vapor Pressure: As the water evaporates the pressure exerted by the vapor
above the liquid increases, until at some point, the pressure reaches a constant
value, the vapor pressure of the substance.
Thermal Shock: Thermal shock describes the way in which some materials are
prone to damage if they are exposed to a sudden change in temperature. Glass
and certain other materials are vulnerable to this process, in part because they do
not conduct thermal energy very well. This is readily observed when a hot glass is
exposed to ice waterthe result is a cracked, broken, or even shattered glass.
Tensile Strength: The maximum load applied in breaking a tensile test piece
divided by the original cross-sectional area of the test piece. Originally quoted as
tons/sq.in. it is now measured as Newtons/sq.mm. Also termed Maximum Stress
and Ultimate Tensile Stress.
Elongation at break: Elongation recorded at the moment of rupture of the
specimen, often expressed as a percentage of the original length. It corresponds to
the breaking or maximum load.
Flexural strength: Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture, bend
strength, or fracture strength, a mechanical parameter for brittle material, is defined
as a material's ability to resist deformation under load.

Impact strength: The ability of a material to withstand shock loading or say the
work done to fracture, under shock loading.
Elastic modulus in tension: Young's modulus is a measure of the stiffness of a
material. It is also known as the Young modulus, modulus of elasticity, elastic
modulus or tensile modulus. It is defined as the ratio of the uniaxial stress over the
uniaxial strain in the range of stress in which Hooke's Law holds.
Exotherm: A compound that gives off heat during its formation and absorbs heat
during its decomposition.

General Properties
Epoxide Equivalent: The term epoxide equivalent (or epoxy equivalent weight) is
defined as the weight of resin in grams which contains one gram equivalent of
epoxy. The term epoxy value is also employed and represents the fractional
number of epoxy groups contained in 100gms of resin. Two terms are convertible.
Dividing the epoxy value into 100gives the epoxide equivalent
Viscosity: Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being
deformed by either shear stress or extensional stress. Viscosity describes a fluid's
internal resistance to flow and may be thought of as a measure of fluid friction.
Dynamic viscosity is measured with various types of rheometer.
Units: Dynamic viscosity 1 P = 0.1 Pas, 1 cP = 1 mPas
Pot life: The period of time during which a thermosetting plastic retains a viscosity
low enough to be used in processing or intended use after mixing with a reactioninitiating agent usually hardener or catalyst or both.
Gel time (Gelation time): The interval of time required for a liquid mixture to
become a solid or semisolid jelly or gel.
Cross linking: Cross-linking usually involves formation of three dimensional
molecular networks by bonding of resin & hardener reactive sites. Cross linking
starts as soon as resin & hardener is mixed depending on the reactivity of system
& mixing temperature.
Cure time: The schedule of time periods at specified temperatures to which a
reacting thermosetting plastic is subjected in order to reach certain specified
properties. To change the physical properties of an epoxy by chemical reaction
through polymerization, usually accomplished in the presence of heat and catalyst,
alone or in combination.
Post Curing: Post curing at certain temperature is required in order to increase
cross linking and thus increase mechanical properties of composite. Resin

hardener mixture reacts at processing temperature due to which 3 dimensional

cross linking happens up to certain extent but not fully. Though mixture is
converted to physically hard or solid, it has not yet achieved its full potential
strength. For that post curing at elevated temperature is required for complete
conversion of cross linking and getting high mechanical strength.
Shrinkage: Shrinkages is the dimensional change that occurs in a material over a
stated period of time. Volume shrinkage is usually expressed as percent change in
volume. Linear shrinkage is expressed as the inch change in length, per inch.