Industry, PHA-PYR

Industry, a group of productive enterprises or organizations that produce or supply goods, services, or sources of income. In economics, industries are customarily classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary; secondary industries are further classified as heavy and light.
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Industry Encyclopedia Articles By Title

phenol-formaldehyde resin
phenol-formaldehyde resin, any of a number of synthetic resins made by reacting phenol (an aromatic alcohol derived......
Philips
Royal Philips (formerly Philips Electronics) is a major Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, electronic......
phosphor bronze
phosphor bronze, alloy of copper and tin that contains a trace of phosphorus. See...
pig iron
pig iron, crude iron obtained directly from the blast furnace and cast in molds. See cast...
pile
pile, in textiles, the surface of a cloth composed of an infinite number of loops of warp threads, or else of an......
pilgrim bottle
pilgrim bottle, vessel with a body varying from an almost full circle, flattened, to a pear shape with a shortish......
pin fastener
pin fastener, a steel pin, usually cylindrical, that can keep machine parts in proper alignment or fasten them......
pine oil
pine oil, essential oil consisting of a colourless to light amber liquid of characteristic odour obtained from......
pipeline
pipeline, line of pipe equipped with pumps and valves and other control devices for moving liquids, gases, and......
Pirrie, William James Pirrie, Viscount
William James Pirrie, Viscount Pirrie was an Irish shipbuilder who controlled Harland and Wolff, the largest ship-construction......
piston and cylinder
piston and cylinder, in mechanical engineering, sliding cylinder with a closed head (the piston) that is moved......
pitch
pitch, in the chemical-process industries, the black or dark brown residue obtained by distilling coal tar, wood......
pitchblende
pitchblende, amorphous, black, pitchy form of the crystalline uranium oxide mineral uraninite (q.v.); it is one......
Pittsburgh glass
Pittsburgh glass, American glassware produced from the end of the 18th century at numerous factories in that Pennsylvania......
placer deposit
placer deposit, natural concentration of heavy minerals caused by the effect of gravity on moving particles. When......
placer mining
placer mining, ancient method of using water to excavate, transport, concentrate, and recover heavy minerals from......
plain stitch
plain stitch, basic knitting stitch in which each loop is drawn through other loops to the right side of the fabric.......
plain weave
plain weave, simplest and most common of the three basic textile weaves. It is made by passing each filling yarn......
plane
plane, in carpentry, tool made in a wide variety of sizes, used for removing rough surfaces on wood and for reducing......
planer
planer, metal-cutting machine in which the workpiece is firmly attached to a horizontal table that moves back and......
planography
planography, any printing technique in which the printing and nonprinting areas of the plate are in a single plane,......
plaster
plaster, a pasty composition (as of lime or gypsum, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating......
plaster of paris
plaster of paris, quick-setting gypsum plaster consisting of a fine white powder (calcium sulfate hemihydrate),......
plate glass
plate glass, form of glass originally made by casting and rolling and characterized by its excellent surface produced......
plating
plating, coating a metal or other material such as plastic or china with a hard, nonporous metallic surface to......
platinum
platinum (Pt), chemical element, the best known and most widely used of the six platinum metals of Groups 8–10,......
platinum group
platinum group, six metals, in order of increasing atomic weight, ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd),......
platinum–iridium
platinum–iridium, alloy of platinum containing from 1 to 30 percent iridium, used for jewelry and surgical pins.......
pneumatic device
pneumatic device, any of various tools and instruments that generate and utilize compressed air. Examples include......
pointing
pointing, in building maintenance, the technique of repairing mortar joints between bricks or other masonry elements.......
poison
poison, in nuclear physics, any material that can easily capture neutrons without subsequently undergoing nuclear......
pole construction
pole construction, Method of building that dates back to the Stone Age. Excavations in Europe show rings of stones......
polonium
polonium (Po), a radioactive, silvery-gray or black metallic element of the oxygen group (Group 16 [VIa] in the......
polyacrylamide
polyacrylamide, an acrylic resin that has the unique property of being soluble in water. It is employed in the......
polyacrylate
polyacrylate, any of a number of synthetic resins produced by the polymerization of acrylic esters. Forming plastic......
polyacrylate elastomer
polyacrylate elastomer, any of a class of synthetic rubbers produced by the copolymerization of ethyl acrylate......
polyacrylonitrile
polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a synthetic resin prepared by the polymerization of acrylonitrile. A member of the important......
polyamide
polyamide, any polymer (substance composed of long, multiple-unit molecules) in which the repeating units in the......
polyarylate
polyarylate, a family of high-performance engineering plastics noted for their strength, toughness, chemical resistance,......
polycarbonate
polycarbonate (PC), a tough, transparent synthetic resin employed in safety glass, eyeglass lenses, and compact......
polychlorotrifluoroethylene
polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), synthetic resin formed by the polymerization of chlorotrifluoroethylene. It......
polyester
polyester, a class of synthetic polymers built up from multiple chemical repeating units linked together by ester......
polyether
polyether, any of a class of organic substances prepared by joining together or polymerizing many molecules of......
polyethylene
polyethylene (PE), light, versatile synthetic resin made from the polymerization of ethylene. Polyethylene is a......
polyethylene glycol
polyethylene glycol (PEG), synthetic chemical compound derived from petroleum that is widely used as a laxative......
polyethylene terephthalate
polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), a strong, stiff synthetic fibre and resin and a member of the polyester......
polyHEMA
polyHEMA, a soft, flexible, water-absorbing plastic used to make soft contact lenses. It is a polymer of 2-hydroxyethyl......
polyisoprene
polyisoprene, polymer of isoprene (C5H8) that is the primary chemical constituent of natural rubber, of the naturally......
polymer
polymer, any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules,......
polymer, inorganic
inorganic polymer, any of a class of large molecules that lack carbon and are polymers—that is, made up of many......
polymerization
polymerization, any process in which relatively small molecules, called monomers, combine chemically to produce......
polymethyl methacrylate
polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a synthetic resin produced from the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. A transparent......
polyolefin
polyolefin, any of a class of synthetic resins prepared by the polymerization of olefins. Olefins are hydrocarbons......
polypropylene
polypropylene, a synthetic resin built up by the polymerization of propylene. One of the important family of polyolefin......
polystyrene
polystyrene, a hard, stiff, brilliantly transparent synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of styrene.......
polysulfide
polysulfide, any member of a class of chemical compounds containing one or more groups of atoms of the element......
polysulfone
polysulfone, any of a class of resinous organic chemical compounds belonging to the family of polymers in which......
polytetrafluoroethylene
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a strong, tough, waxy, nonflammable synthetic resin produced by the polymerization......
polyurethane
polyurethane, any of a class of synthetic resinous, fibrous, or elastomeric compounds belonging to the family of......
polyvinyl acetate
polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), a synthetic resin prepared by the polymerization of vinyl acetate. In its most important......
polyvinyl alcohol
polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a colourless, water-soluble synthetic resin employed principally in the treating of textiles......
polyvinyl fluoride
polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), a synthetic resin produced by polymerizing vinyl fluoride (CH2=CHF) under pressure in......
polyvinylidene chloride
polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), a synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of vinylidene chloride. It is......
polyvinylidene fluoride
polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of vinylidene fluoride (CH2=CF2).......
Pombal, Marquis de
Marquis de Pombal was a Portuguese reformer and virtual ruler of his country from 1750 to 1777. Sebastião was the......
Pontypool ware
Pontypool ware, japanned (varnished) tinplate produced in Wales at the Allgood family factory in Pontypool and......
poplin
poplin, strong fabric produced by the rib variation of the plain weave and characterized by fine, closely spaced,......
porcelain enamelling
porcelain enamelling, process of fusing a thin layer of glass to a metal object to prevent corrosion and enhance......
porphyry copper deposit
porphyry copper deposit, large body of rock, typically a porphyry of granitic to dioritic composition, that has......
portland cement
portland cement, binding material in the form of a finely ground powder, usually gray, that is manufactured by......
potassium
potassium (K), chemical element of Group 1 (Ia) of the periodic table, the alkali metal group, indispensable for......
poultry processing
poultry processing, preparation of meat from various types of fowl for consumption by humans. Poultry is a major......
powder metallurgy
powder metallurgy, fabrication of metal objects from a powder rather than casting from molten metal or forging......
power steering
power steering, system to aid the steering of an automobile by use of a hydraulic device (driven from the engine)......
pozzolana
pozzolana, hydraulic cement perfected by the Romans and still used in some countries, traditionally made by grinding......
precast concrete
precast concrete, Concrete cast into structural members under factory conditions and then brought to the building......
pressed glass
pressed glass, glassware produced by mechanically pressing molten glass into a plain or engraved mold by means......
prestressed concrete
prestressed concrete, Concrete reinforced by either pretensioning or posttensioning, allowing it to carry a greater......
printing press
printing press, machine by which text and images are transferred from movable type to paper or other media by means......
private military company
private military company (PMC), independent corporation that offers military services to national governments,......
Prodi, Romano
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician who was twice prime minister of Italy (1996–98; 2006–08) and who served as......
production system
production system, any of the methods used in industry to create goods and services from various resources. All......
proofreading
proofreading, reading and marking corrections on a proof or other copy of the text of articles and books before......
prospecting
prospecting, search for economically exploitable mineral deposits. Until the 20th century prospecting involved......
psilomelane
psilomelane, Barium and manganese hydrous oxide, BaMnMn8O16(OH)4, an important ore mineral of manganese. What was......
puddling process
puddling process, Method of converting pig iron into wrought iron by subjecting it to heat and frequent stirring......
pump
pump, a device that expends energy in order to raise, transport, or compress fluids. The earliest pumps were devices......
punch press
punch press, machine that changes the size or shape of a piece of material, usually sheet metal, by applying pressure......
putty
putty, cementing material made of whiting (finely powdered calcium carbonate) and boiled linseed oil. It is beaten......
PVC
PVC, a synthetic resin made from the polymerization of vinyl chloride. Second only to polyethylene among the plastics......
pyrargyrite
pyrargyrite, a sulfosalt mineral, a silver antimony sulfide (Ag3SbS3), that is an important source of silver, sometimes......
Pyrex
Pyrex, (trademark), a type of glass and glassware that is resistant to heat, chemicals, and electricity. It is......
pyrobitumen
pyrobitumen, natural, solid hydrocarbon substance, distinguishable from bitumen (q.v.) by being infusible and insoluble.......
pyrolusite
pyrolusite, common manganese mineral, manganese dioxide (MnO2), that constitutes an important ore. Always formed......
pyrometallurgy
pyrometallurgy, extraction and purification of metals by processes involving the application of heat. The most......

Industry Encyclopedia Articles By Title