STRING STORE Any device intended for internal or external carriage and mounted on an aircraft suspension and release equipment, whether or not the item is intended to be separated in flight from the aircraft. Stores are classified in two categories: Carriage Stores and Mission Stores. STRAIGHTNESS Straightness is a condition in which an element of a surface or an axis is a straight line. STRESS-ACCELERATED CORROSION A form of intergranu- lar attack that can occur in the absence of stress but is accelerated by the application of a tensile stress, which opens up any cracks and permits the corrodent to attack the metal at the crack tips. STRESS ADJUSTMENT FACTOR The ratio of the incoming defect density at the anticipated field stress level to the incoming defect density at the baseline stress level. STRESS CORROSION A specific type of accelerated corrosion resulting from the combined effects of mechanical tensile stress and corrosive environments. STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING A premature failure of a metal as the result of the combined action of tensile stresses and a corrosive environment. The surface tensile stresses may be residual or applied. STRESS RELIEVING (1) Uniform heating of a structure or por- tion thereof to a sufficient temperature, below the critical range, to relieve the major portion of the residual stresses, followed by uni- form cooling. (2) To remove residual stresses caused by the forming operation by applying low-temperature heat treatment after coiling or bending. Also called strain relieve, stress equalizing, tempering, bluing, and baking. STRESS SCREENING The process of applying mechanical, elec- trical and/or thermal stresses to an equipment item for the purpose of precipitating latent part and workmanship defects to early fail- ure. STRIA A defect in optical glass consisting of a sharply defined streak of transparent material having a slightly different index of refraction than the body of the glass. STRIAE Internal imperfections of glass appearing as wavy distor- tion. STRING In the user's context, a word, phrase, or number (string of characters) in the test or file. Normally employed in the context of 237