ESD and Anti Static Flooring Terminology
Here are several terms you might find when researching esd flooring and static control floors.
[A - D] • [E - H] • [I - L] • [M - R] • [S - Z]
By Letter
Impedance: The total opposition (i.e., resistance or reactance) a circuit offers to the flow of alternating current. It is measured in ohms and the lower the ohmic value, the better the quality of the conductor.
Indoor air quality (IAQ)
A term used to describe the quality of the air breathed by occupants of an indoor or enclosed environment.
Installed Cost: The actual cost for materials and labor that also includes floor preparation, shutdown or loss of use of space, removal of old flooring and any procedures such as initial required cleaning, vapor test or vapor barrier applications.
Insulative: The property of “insulation” refers to a material’s ability to store as opposed to conduct. An insulator is the opposite of a conductor. A good example of an insulator is a stone hearth. Although the hearth stores heat from a hot fire, it can be touched without danger because the heat is retained by the hearth and not transferred to the skin (as opposed to touching the metal grille on the same fireplace). In the case of carpet construction, all fibers are insulators unless a conductive coating is applied to the external perimeter of the fibers. Insulated fibers will both generate and store static electricity. They cannot be grounded, even if a copper wire is attached to them.
Insulative Material: A material having a surface resistivity of at least 1 x 1012 ohms/square or 1 x 1011 ohm- cm volume resistivity.
Insulator: A material with high electrical resistance, (an insulator), will not conduct a charge to ground. Examples of insulators are plastic, rubber, vinyl, and wood. A practical example of an insulator is the rubber or vinyl casings around common electrical wires.
Internal Dye Variability
The change in dye uniformity across diameter and along the length of a yarn's individual filaments. Affects appearance of the dyed product and is a function of fiber, dye, dyeing process, and dye bath characteristics.
International Gray Scale for Color Change
A standard comparison to rate degrees of color change from 5 (no change) to 1 (severe change).
International Gray Scale for Staining
A standard comparison to rate degrees of staining from 5 (no stain) to 1 (severe stain).
ISO (The International Organization for Standardization)
A non-governmental, worldwide organization whose work results in international agreements that are published as International Standards.
J-cut
Uneven cutting of the loops in cut-pile carpets caused by poor adjustment of the knives and hooks or excessive yarn tension.
Jet
A device used to bulk yarns by introducing curls, coils and loops that are formed by action of a high velocity stream usually air or steam.
Jute
A natural fiber, native to India, which can be shredded and spun into yarn. Jute yarns are used for backing in woven carpets, or itself woven into sheets and used as secondary backing on tufted carpet. In many applications, jute is being replaced by fiberglass, polypropylene or other synthetic fibers.
Knitting
A fabrication process comprised of interlacing yarns in a series of connected loops with needles, like weaving. Carpet produced by knitting is generally categorized as woven carpet. In carpet knitting, pile and backing are produced at the same time using multiple sets of needles in one operation.
Kraftcord
A tightly twisted yarn made from plant fiber, used as a backing yarn.
Kuster
A trade name of a manufacturer of continuous dyeing machines which apply dye to tufted carpet. (See "Continuous dyeing.")
kV: A measurement of electrical voltage. The measurement stands for kilovolts or thousand of volts. Currently, the floor covering industry measures the static propensity of products by using a kV measurement.
Laboratory Evaluation Equipment: An instrument or collection of instruments that meet the criteria of a standard or standard test method that provides a measurement that is accurate and repeatable. This equipment is typically used to qualify materials, devices or procedures prior to acceptance and under controlled conditions.
LAN: An acronym for Local Area Network.
Latent Failure: A malfunction that occurs following a period of normal operation. Note: The failure may be attributable to an earlier electrostatic discharge event. The concept of latent failure is controversial and not totally accepted by all in the technical community.
Low kV: Low kV is a synonym for antistatic carpet. Low kV carpet will not generate as much static electricity as standard carpet. Low kV carpet reduces the shock hazards associated with walking on standard carpet. The typical human threshold for feeling a static zap is 3.5 kV or three thousand five hundred (3500) volts. Most low kV carpet will inhibit static sufficiently so the people do not feel painful shocks. Low kV carpet cannot be grounded and will not reduce static electricity when the humidity is low or after extended carpet wear.
| Antistatic Carpet Terms | ||
Having trouble deciding which is better: Anti static flooring – conductive flooring or static dissipative flooring?
Try looking at this question from a visual perspective on our static
dissipative versus conductive flooring page.
Whether you are looking for vinyl flooring, SDT, PVC, two part epoxy coatings,
ESD paint, carpet tile or ESD rubber flooring, you need to know which anti
static range is right for you. Choosing the right range will determine how
long your static control floors will perform.
