Glossary

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Connector:

A wide range of electrical products which splice, crimp or connect two or more power or grounding sources. Usually made of a conductive material like copper, brass, or aluminum, they can be insulated or uninsulated.

Terminal:

An electrical connector that incorporates a wire crimp connection and a bolted stud hole connection. Other related terms are lug and eyelet. Typically made of a conductive material like copper, brass, or aluminum, they can be insulated or uninsulated.

Lug:

An electrical connector that incorporates a wire crimp connection and a bolted stud hole connection for use in a heavy duty electrical power or grounding application. They are ordinarily made of a conductive material like copper, brass, or aluminum and are usually uninsulated. Available unplated, or plated for corrosion protection.

Splice:

An electrical connector that incorporates two crimp ends and typically does not have studhole connection.

Gauge Size:

Cable size convention developed by American Wire Guide (AWG) to establish standards for copper stranding content, stranding outside diameter, and insulation diameters. Terminals, lugs, and connectors are sized to accommodate specific wire sizes. Lug sizes run from 8 Gauge to 1000MCM (insulated terminals are for smaller, "primary wire" e.g. 22Ga.,14Ga,12Ga.) A table of lug wire sizes follows:

Studhole:

The perforated hole located on a terminal or lug, used to connect the power or grounding source by nut and bolt to the lug for conduction. Sizes correspond to standard bolt outside diameters allowing clearance between the outside diameter of the bolt and the inside diameter of the hole.

Barrel:

Tubular port in terminal lug into which stripped cable stranding is inserted to solder or crimp cable or wire to terminal or lug.

Tang:

Flattened rectangular portion of terminal lug which accommodates studhole and embossed wire information.

Transition:

Area between a terminal lug barrel and tang which is typically a sloping configuration to move from the round barrel to the flat tang.

Crimp:

Mechanical means of compressing terminal barrel material on to copper cable stranding to produce an electrical connection that delivers adequate conductivity and mechanical "pull-out" resistance. Crimps are usually done with crimping tools that incorporate "crimp dies" and either mechanical or hydraulic means of actuating the dies to compress the lug barrel.

Solder:

A method of affixing copper tubular barrels to copper cable stranding which involves seeping in of molten lead/tin mixture for conductivity and some minimal mechanical attachment.

Flare, Chamfer: Means of guiding wire mechanically into wire barrel for stranding insertion and ease of operation.

Clearance:

Distance between lug characteristic and impinging related parts, like "nut clearance" which is the distance between the studhole and the transition, or "end clearance" which is the distance between the tang end and the studhole, or the "stud clearance" distance between stud o.d. and lug hole i.d.

Inspection Port/Sight Hole:

Round or half round hole placed in transition of tubular terminal lug to enable the operator crimping or soldering the lug to ensure the cable butts up against the barrel end and/or that solder may seep into barrel to produce a secure, conductive connection.

Plating:

Tin or silver plating designed to provide corrosion protection or improve conductivity.

Color-Coding:

A standard which assigns a color to each wire gauge so that when cable, lugs, and crimp dies are coded with this color users are assured the proper connection and product selection.

UL Listing:

A set of tests performed by Underwriter's Laboratories to verify the safety and effectiveness of terminal lugs as designed in the submitted drawing and utilizing crimping and identification conventions. The UL "Mark" is stamped on the lug.