Terminology - A

  • ACCEPTANCE: The act of an authorized representative of the purchaser by which the purchaser assumes for himself, or as agent of another, ownership of existing and identified supplies tendered, or approves specific services required, as partial or complete performance of the contract on the part of the contractor.
  • ACCEPTANCE NUMBER: A number used in connection with a sampling plan such that if the number of nonconforming test units in the sample taken from the lot is less than or equal to this number, the lot should be accepted.
  • APPLIED SKIN: A thin surface layer of elastomeric material.
  • AQL: Acceptance Quality Level (AQL), combined with a lot/sample size designation is sometimes used for indexing a sampling plan. AQL does not imply that a supplier has the right to knowingly supply a defective unit or product.
  • AUTOCLAVE: A pressure vessel into which materials or articles can be placed and exposed to steam under pressure. It is commonly used for vulcanization.