(Courtesy George Fischer Engineering Handbook)

A

Abbrasion Resistance:

Ability to withstand the effects of repeated wearing, rubbing, scraping, etc.

ABS:

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene

Acceptance Test:

An investigation performed on an individual lot of a previously qualified product, by, or under the observation of, the purchaser to establish conformity with a purchase agreement.

Acetal Plastics:

Plastics based on resins having a predominance of acetal linkages in the main chain.

Acids:

One of a class of substances compounded of hydrogen and one or more other elements, capable of uniting with a base to form a salt, and in aqueous solution, turning blue litmus paper red.

Acrylate Resins:

A class of thermoplastic resins produced by polymerization of acrylic and acid derivatives.

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Sytrene (ABS)Pipe and Fitting Plastics:

Plastics containing polymers and/or blends of polymers, in which the minimum butadiene content is 6 percent, the minimum acrylonitrile content is 15 percent, the minimum styrene and/or substituted styrene content is 15 percent, and the maximum content of all other monomers is not more than 5 percent, and lubricants, stabilizers and colorants.

Adhesive:

A substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment.

Adhesive, solvent:

An adhesive having a volatile organic liquid as a vehicle.

Aging:

The effect of time on plastics exposed indoors at ordinary conditions of temperature and relatively clean air.

Alkalies:

Compounds capable of neutralizing acids and usually characterized by an acrid taste. Can be mild like baking soda or highly caustic like lye.

Aliphatic: