Appendix A: Glossary of Terms and Definitions

A-stage: Stage in which thermosetting reactants are mixed, but at which the polymerization reaction has not yet begun.
abhesive: Film or coating, such as a mold release, applied to a surface to prevent adhesion or sticking.
ablative plastics: Plastics or resins, the surface layers of which decompose when surface is heated, leaving a heat-resistant layer of charred material. Successive layers break away, exposing a new surface. These plastics are especially useful in applications such as outer skins of spacecraft, which heat up to high temperatures on reentry into the Earth s atmosphere.
abrasion resistance: Capability of a material to withstand mechanical forces, such as scraping, rubbing, or erosion, that remove material from the surface.
ABS plastics: Abbreviated phrase referring to acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers; elastomer-modified styrene.
absorption: Penetration of one substance into the mass of another, such as moisture or water absorption of plastics.
accelerated test: Test in which conditions are intensified to obtain critical data in shorter time periods, such as accelerated life testing.
accelerator: Chemical used to speed up a reaction or cure. Term is often used interchangeably with promoter. For example, cobalt naphthanate is used to accelerate the reaction of certain polyester resins. An accelerator is often used along with a catalyst, hardener, or curing agent.
activation: Process, usually chemical, of modifying a surface so that coatings will more readily bond to that surface.
activator: Chemical material used in the activation process. ( See activation.)
addition reaction...

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Handbook of Plastics, Elastomers, and Composites, Fourth Edition

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Appendix A: Glossary of Terms and Definitions

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