BOUNDARY LAYER-Is the region of flow close to a solid body such as a hull or a foil. An area in which flow would increase rapidly from zero on the surface to a maximum equal to the ideal fluid velocity in a fairly small distance which is the boundary layer thickness.

BREATHER  CLOTH- A loosely woven material that does not come in contact with the resin but serves as a continuos vacuum path over a part in production.

C

CAD/CAM- Computer-aided design/ Computer-aided manufacturing.

CARBON FIBER- Reinforcing fiber known for its light weight, high strength, and high stiffness. Fibers are produced by high temperature treatment of an organic precursor fiber based on PAN (polyacrylonitrile), rayon or pitch in an inert atmosphere at temperatures above 1,800 deg.F. Fibers can be graphitized by still removing more of the non-carbon atoms by heat treating above 3000deg. F.

CATALYST- A substance that promotes or controls curing of a compound without being consumed in the reaction.

CAVATATION-The formation of a steam cavity created by the low pressure of a fin traveling at speeds high enough to create pressures low enough to vaporize water.

CENTIPOISE (CPS)- Unit of measure used to designate a fluid's viscosity. At 70deg.F water is 1CPS; peanut butter is 250,000CPS.

CENTER OF EFFORT-A point chosen for the sake of comparison. This point is the center of area both horizontally and vertically. Its relationship to the fin box is an important point of comparison. Not to be confused with the "Center of Lift"

CHOPPED STRAND- Continuous roving that is chopped into short lengths for use in mats, spray-up or molding compounds.

COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION (CTE)- Measure of a material's fractional change in length for a given unit change in temperature.

COHESION- Tendency of a single substance to adhere to itself. Also, the force holding a substance together.

COMPOSITE- A material that combines fiber and a binding matrix to maximize specific performance properties. Neither element merges completely with the other.