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J122™ JAN2017
SURFACE VEHICLE
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE Issued 1969-09
Reaffirmed 1998-05
Cancelled 2017-01

Superseding J122 MAY1998

Surface Discontinuities on Nuts

RATIONALE

To advance the goal of harmonization, SAE J122 is cancelled and superseded by ASTM F812, Standard Specification for
Surface Discontinuities of Nuts, Inch and Metric Series.

CANCELLATION NOTICE

This Technical Report has been declared “CANCELLED” as of January 2017 and has been superseded by ASTM F812.
By this action, this document will remain listed in the respective index, if applicable. Cancelled Technical Reports are
available from SAE.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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1. Scope—This SAE Recommended Practice defines, illustrates, and specifies allowable limits for the various
types of surface discontinuities that may occur during the manufacture and processing of metric-series nuts, in
sizes 6.3 to 25 mm and inch-series nuts in sizes 1/4 to 1 in, inclusive, which are primarily intended for use in
automotive assemblies.

1.1 The basic recommended practice does not include inspection sampling requirements. It is intended that the
purchaser shall specify in the original inquiry and purchase order the inspection sampling requirements which
the producer must satisfy to demonstrate the acceptability of nuts with respect to surface discontinuities.
Appendix A outlines inspection sampling plans applicable when such requirements are not specified by the
purchaser in the original inquiry and purchase order.

2. References

2.1 Applicable Publication—The following publication forms a part of this specification to the extent specified
herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the latest issue of SAE publications shall apply.

2.1.1 ASTM PUBLICATION—Available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.

ASTM A 194—Steel Nuts for High Pressure and High Temperature Service

3. Types of Surface Discontinuities—For the purpose of this recommended practice, surface discontinuities
on nuts are divided into 11 "types," defined as follows:

3.1 Cracks—A crack is a clean (crystalline) fracture passing through or across the grain boundaries without
inclusion of foreign elements. Cracks are normally caused by overstressing the metal during forging or other
forming operation, or during heat treatment. Where parts are subjected to significant reheating, cracks usually
are discolored by scale.

3.1.1 QUENCH CRACKS—Quench cracks may occur during heat treatment due to excessively high thermal and
transformation stresses. They usually traverse an irregular and erratic course on the surface of the nut.
Typical quench cracks are shown in Figure 1.
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FIGURE 1—TYPICAL QUENCH CRACKS

3.1.2 FORGING CRACKS—Forging cracks may occur during the cutoff or forging operations and are located on the
top and bottom face of the nut, and at the intersection of the face and flat. Typical forging cracks are shown
in Figure 2.

FIGURE 2—TYPICAL FORGING CRACKS

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3.1.3 LOCKING ELEMENT FORMATION CRACKS—These cracks may occur due to the application of pressure against
the nut when introducing the locking element into prevailing torque nuts. Cracks of this type are usually
located in the vicinity of the locking element and may either be on the internal or external surface. Typical
locking element formation cracks are shown in Figure 3.

FIGURE 3—TYPICAL LOCKING ELEMENT FORMATION CRACKS ON PREVAILING-TORQUE NUTS

3.1.4 WASHER RETAINER CRACK—A washer retainer crack is an opening in a lip or hub of metal used for
captivating a washer on a nut. Washer retainer cracks may occur when pressure is applied to the lip or hub
during assembly of the washer. Such cracks are limited to the contour of the hub or lip used for retaining
purposes. Typical washer retainer cracks are shown in Figure 4.

FIGURE 4—TYPICAL WASHER RETAINER CRACKS

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3.2 Seams—A seam is a narrow continuous discontinuity in the metal. Seams are generally inherent in the raw
material from which the nut is made. Seams in nuts are usually straight or smooth curved line discontinuities
running generally parallel to the nut axis. Typical seams are shown in Figure 5.

FIGURE 5—TYPICAL SEAMS

3.3 Bursts—A burst is an open break in the metal. Bursts may occur at the periphery of flanged nuts. A typical
burst is shown in Figure 6.

FIGURE 6—TYPICAL BURST AND SHEAR FAILURES ON FLANGED NUTS

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3.4 Shear Failures—A shear failure is an open break in the metal, located at the periphery of flanged nuts and
approximately at a 45 degree angle to the nut axis. Shear failures occur most frequently with flanged nuts and
are due to overstressing the metal during forging. A typical shear failure is shown in Figure 6.

3.5 Folds—A fold is a doubling over of metal which may occur during the forging operation. Folds in nuts may
occur at or near the intersection of diameter changes or on the top or bottom face of the nut. Typical folds are
shown in Figure 7.

FIGURE 7—TYPICAL FOLDS

3.6 Voids—A void is a shallow pocket or hollow on the surface of the nut due to nonfilling of metal during forging.
Typical voids are shown in Figure 8.

FIGURE 8—TYPICAL VOIDS ON BEARING SURFACES

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3.7 Tool Marks—Tool marks are longitudinal or circumferential grooves of shallow depth, produced by the
movement of manufacturing tools over the surface of the nut. Typical tool marks are shown in Figure 9.

FIGURE 9—TYPICAL TOOL MARKS

3.8 Nicks or Gouges—A nick or gouge is an indentation on the surface of a nut, produced by forceful abrasion or
the impact of product coming into contact with other product or manufacturing equipment during manufacture.

4. Limits for Surface Discontinuities

4.1 Letter Definitions—Throughout the following requirements, D designates the nominal size (basic major
diameter of thread of nuts). F designates the nominal flange diameter. For metric-series nuts use millimeter;
for inch-series nuts use inch.

4.2 Cracks

4.2.1 QUENCH CRACKS—of any depth, any length, or in any location, are not permitted. (See 3.1.1 and Figure 1.)

4.2.2 FORGING CRACKS—are permissible discontinuities providing that nuts with forging cracks, in addition to
meeting the dimensional requirements detailed below, can meet the requirements of the cone proof load test
described in 5.3.

4.2.2.1 Forging cracks located in the top and bottom face of nuts are permissible discontinuities providing that (a)
there are no more than two forging cracks which extend from the tapped hole across the full width of the
faces; (b) no forging crack extends into the tapped hole beyond the first full thread; and (c) the width of any
forging crack does not exceed 0.20 mm (0.008 in) +0.010 D.

4.2.2.2 Forging cracks located at the intersection of top or bottom face with the flat (these discontinuities are
sometimes interpreted as bursts) shall not exceed 0.25 mm (0.010 in) +0.020 D. (See 3.1.2 and Figure 2.)
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4.2.3 LOCKING ELEMENT FORMATION CRACKS—of any length or any depth, located on the external surface of
prevailing torque nuts, are not permitted.

4.2.3.1 Locking element formation cracks located on the internal surface of prevailing torque nuts shall not exceed
two thread pitches in length; shall not extend into the thread root; and the width of any crack shall not
exceed the following: For metric-series nut, 0.18 mm for sizes 6.3 to 11 mm, inclusive, and 0.25 mm for
sizes 12 to 25 mm, inclusive. For inch-series nuts, 0.007 in for sizes 1/4 to 7/16 in, inclusive, and 0.010 in
for sizes 1/2 to 1 in, inclusive. (See 3.1.3 and Figure 3.)

4.2.4 WASHER RETAINER CRACKS—are permissible discontinuities. (See 3.1.4 and Figure 4.)

4.3 Seams—Seams are permissible discontinuities providing that nuts with seams, in addition to meeting the
dimensional requirements detailed below, can meet the requirements of the cone proof load test described in
5.3.

4.3.1 Seams shall not exceed the following open width at the surface; for metric-series nuts, 0.13 mm for sizes 6.3
to 11 mm, inclusive, and 0.25 mm for sizes 12 to 25 mm, inclusive. For inch-series nuts, 0.005 in for nut
sizes 1/4 to 7/16 in, inclusive, and 0.010 in for nut sizes 1/2 to 1 in, inclusive. (See 3.2 and Figure 5.)

4.4 Bursts—Bursts in flanged nuts shall not exceed a width of 0.13 mm (0.005 in) +0.020 F or an open depth of
0.08 mm (0.003 in) +0.012 F, except that one burst may have a width no greater than 0.25 mm (0.010 in)
+0.040 F, or an open depth no greater than 0.15 mm (0.006 in) +0.024 F. (See 3.3 and Figure 6.)

4.5 Shear Failures—Shear failures on flanged nuts shall not exceed a width of 0.020 F or a depth of 0.030 F.
(See 3.4 and Figure 6.)

4.6 Folds—Folds located at the intersection of the flange periphery and bearing surface of flanged nuts shall not
project below the bearing surface. (See 3.5 and Figure 7.)

4.7 Voids—Voids on the bearing surface of nuts shall not exceed a depth of 0.25 mm (0.010 in), and the combined
area of all voids on the bearing surface shall not exceed 5% of the specified minimum area of the bearing
surface. (See 3.6 and Figure 8.)

4.8 Tool Marks—Tool marks on the bearing surface shall not exceed a surface roughness measurement of 2.8
µm (110 µin) determined as the arithmetic average deviation from the mean surface. Tool marks on other
surfaces are permissible discontinuities. (See 3.7 and Figure 9.)

4.9 Nicks and Gouges—Nicks and gouges are permissible discontinuities; however, the manufacturer shall
exercise due care during the manufacture and handling of nuts to minimize the number and magnitude of nicks
and gouges. (See 3.8.)

5. Inspection Procedure—Nuts shall be inspected in accordance with the procedures outlined in 5.1, 5.2, and
5.3, unless otherwise specified by purchaser.

5.1 Visual Inspection—A representative sample1 shall be picked at random from the lot. The sample shall be
examined visually for quench cracks, locking element formation cracks, width of seams, bursts, shear failures,
forging cracks, folds, voids on the bearing surface, and tool marks on the bearing surface.

5.1.1 If any nuts are found with quench cracks, or if any prevailing torque nuts are found with locking element
formation cracks located on the external surface, the lot shall be subject to rejection.

1. See Appendix.
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5.1.2 If any nuts are found with locking element formation cracks located on the internal surface, seams, bursts,
shear failures, forging cracks, folds, voids, or tool marks which exceed the allowable limits as specified for
the applicable type of discontinuity under Section 4, the lot shall be subject to rejection.

5.2 Magnetic Analysis Inspection—The same sample (if acceptable by visual inspection) shall then be further
examined by magnetic inspection techniques (Magna-glo, Magna-flux, eddy current, etc.). (NOTE: Other
examining procedures may be used providing they have an equivalent ability to detect discontinuities of the
size specified under Section 4.) All nuts showing indications that could be interpreted as seams, and all nuts
showing strong indications of forging cracks with potentially significant depth, shall be set aside. From this
group a secondary sample1 shall be picked at random. Each nut in this sample shall be cone proof load tested
as outlined in 5.3. If any nut fails to meet the requirements of this test, the lot shall be subject to rejection.

5.3 Cone Proof Load Test—The purpose of the test2 is to detect the presence of detrimental seams or forging
cracks. The use of a conical washer and threaded mandrel, as illustrated in Figure 10, exaggerates the
influence of such discontinuities on the load carrying ability of the nut by introducing a simultaneous dilation
and stripping action on the nut.

FIGURE 10—USE OF CONICAL WASHER AND THREADED MANDREL

2. Same as test specified in ASTM A 194, Steel Nuts for High Pressure and High Temperature Service.
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5.3.1 The mandrel shall have a hardness of Rockwell C45 minimum. For metric-series nuts, the mandrel shall be
threaded to class 5 g 6 g tolerances, except the minimum major diameter shall be the specified minimum
major diameter for class 6 g, and the maximum major diameter shall be minimum major diameter plus 0.25
times the class 6 g major diameter tolerance; for inch-series nuts, the mandrel shall be threaded to Class 3A
tolerance except that the major diameter shall be minimum major diameter with a tolerance of +0.002 in.

5.3.2 The cone washer shall have a hardness of Rockwell C57 minimum; a hole diameter equivalent to the
nominal diameter of the mandrel, +0.05, –0 mm (+0.002, –0 in); and a flat contact point as follows: For
metric-series nuts, 0.10–0.15 mm for sizes 6.3 through 12 mm, and 0.35–0.41 mm for sizes 14 through
25 mm diameter; for inch-series nuts, 0.004–0.006 for sizes 1/4 through 1/2 in diameter, and 0.014–0.016 for
sizes 1/2 through 1 in diameter.

5.3.3 The nut and the cone washer shall be assembled on mandrel, and the cone proof load for the nut shall be
applied against the nut through the cone washer. The speed of testing, as determined with free running
cross head, shall not exceed 3 mm/minute (0.125 in/minute). Loading shall be applied for 10 s the cone
proof load of a nut shall be computed using the following formula:

PL c = PL a ( 1 – 0.3D ) (Eq. 1)

where:

PLc = cone proof load, N (lb)

PLa = specified axial proof load, N (lb)
D = nominal size of nut, mm (in)

5.3.4 To meet the requirements of the cone proof load test, the nut shall support its specified cone proof load.

PREPARED BY THE SAE FASTENERS COMMITTEE

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APPENDIX A

SAMPLING PLAN

A.1 Scope—This appendix outlines inspection sampling plans applicable when the purchaser has not specified a
plan or plans in the original inquiry or purchase order, or in related specifications.

A.2 Sample size for visual and magnetic analysis inspection of surface discontinuities is:

TABLE A1—SAMPLE SIZE FOR VISUAL AND MAGNETIC

ANALYSIS INSPECTION OF SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES
Lot Size Sample Size
Up to 1,500 include 15
1,501 to 5,000 25
5,001 to 15,000 50
15,001 to 50,000 75
50,001 and over 100

A.3 Sample size for cone proof load testing of products with seam and/or forging crack indications is:

TABLE A2—SAMPLE SIZE FOR CONE PROOF LOAD TESTING

OF PRODUCTS WITH SEAM AND/OR FORGING CRACK INDICATIONS
Number
of Products
Showing Seam
Indications Sample Size
1 1
2 to 8 2
9 to 15 3
16 to 25 5
26 to 50 8
51 to 90 13
91 to 100 20
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Relationship of SAE Standard to ISO Standard—Not applicable.

Application—This SAE Recommended Practice defines, illustrates, and specifies allowable limits for the
various types of surface discontinuities that may occur during the manufacture and processing of metric-
series nuts, in sizes 6.3 to 25 mm and inch-series nuts in sizes 1/4 to 1 in, inclusive, which are primarily
intended for use in automotive assemblies.

Reference Section

ASTM A 194—Steel Nuts for High Pressure and High Temperature Service

Developed by the SAE Fasteners Committee