Abrasion: The wear and rubbing of the surface of a fabric.

Aramid: A family of heat and flame-resistant fibers used in materials for bulletproof vests and radial tires.

Areal Weight: The weight of a fiber reinforcement per unit area (length x width ) of a tape or fabric.

Calendering: A mechanical finishing process where fabric is passed between heated rolls under pressure in order to produce special effects such as a glaze, polish, moiré, or embossed surface.

Conex: Registered trademark of Teijin. A member of the meta-aramid fiber family that is both flame retardant and resistant to high temperatures.

Contamination: Undesirable material that causes poor wetting of chemical treatments such as adhesives or coatings.

Creep: A continuous, permanent elongation under a sustained load that results in a change in fabric shape.

Denier: The weight in grams of 9000 meters of a fiber filament. The lower the denier number, the finer the yarn. Denier is used in connection with most most man-made fibers.

Extraction: The process of removing impurities from a substrate with a vacuum.

Kevlar: DuPont's trademark para-aramid fiber. Kevlar is lighter and stronger than steel but loses its desirable properties when exposed to the sun for extended periods of time.

Leno Mesh: A weave where warp yarns are arranged in pairs with one twisted around the other between picks of filling yarn. This weave adds firmness and strength to an open-weave fabric and prevents slippage of yarns.

Monofilament: A single filament of a manufactured fiber, usually in a denier higher than 14. Monofilaments are usually spun one at a time.

Multifilament: A yarn consisting of many continuous filaments or strands.

Nomex: Registered DuPont trademark for a flame retardant meta-aramid fiber marketed and first discovered in the 1970s. Nomex is primarily used in the manufacture of flame-resistant clothing.

Polyester: A man-made fiber second only to cotton in global usage. Polyester has high strength, excellent resiliency, and good resistance to abrasion. Its low absorbency allows the fiber to dry rapidly.

Polypropylene: Any of various thermoplastic resins that are polymers of propylene. They are hard and tough and are used to make molded articles and fibers.

Roll Goods: Fabric that is rolled up onto a core after is has been woven.

Scouring: The washing of fabric to remove impurities before further processing.

Scrim: A lightweight, open-weave fabric used as a base fabric for the production of coated or laminated fabrics.

Spectra: Registered trademark for UHMPE (Ultra High Molecular Polyethylene) from Honeywell.

Spun Yarn: A yarn constructed from a group of short staple fibers that have been cut from longer continuous-filament fibers and are then twisted together to form a single yarn.

Substrate: A fabric to which coatings or other fabrics are applied.

Teflon: Registered trademark for Polytetrafluoro-
ethylene (PTFE) fiber produced by Toray.

Tensile Strength: Refers to the amount of load a fiber will withstand before it breaks.

Twaron: Registered trademark for para-aramid fiber produced by Teijin Aramid that has high impact resistance (five times stronger than steel), high tenacity, and excellent energy absorption properties.

Vectran: Registered trademark for liquid crystal polymer fiber produced by Kuraray. Noted for its thermal stability at high temperatures, high strength and modulus, and good chemical stability. Vectran is moisture resistant and is generally stable in hostile environments.

Warp: Lengthwise yarns in a fabric that are attached to and run parallel with the length of the loom and the woven fabric. Weft yarn is woven back and forth across the warp yarns.

Weaving: The method or process of forming a fabric by interlacing at right angles two or more sets of yarn or other material.