What is JIC fitting?
JIC (or Joint Industry Council) fittings, defined by SAE J514, are compression fittings machined with a 37 degree flare seating surface and parallel threads. They are commonly manufactured in nickel alloys, brass, carbon & stainless steel.
JIC Chart From Titan Fittings
JIC Fitting hydraulic connections are common in most fluid power systems. Both male and female components have 37 degree seats. The seal is made by establishing contact between the male flared and the female coned seat. This is considered a mechanical connection. There are three components that make a tubing assembly; fitting, flare nut and sleeve.
Advantages of Using JIC Fittings
JIC fittings are one of the most adaptable types of fittings in the market. It is for this reason they are most commonly used in the hydraulic and automotive sectors. The market displays a wide variety of multi-standard fitting interconnections such as JIC unions, JIC to pipe, or JIC to the bulkhead. Additionally, variations within these products can also be found, including elbows, reducers, expanders, straight sections, swivels, tees, crosses, and many more.
The volume and variety of material available in stock with most vendors ensure that you’re never short on inventory. Hence, you can be sure that no bottlenecks present themselves during maintenance operations. Common materials used to make JIC fittings like carbon and stainless steel, brass, and nickel-copper alloys, enable their use for custom applications where cost, resistance, temperature rating, and pressure rating are a factor.
Shortcomings of JIC Fittings
With advancements in heavy machinery, more and more applications are coming forward that require tighter seals. Unfortunately, JIC fittings are not as capable of sealing high-pressure fluids unless the standard for manufacturing conforms to stricter tolerances for flare seat faces. O-ring sealed fittings are better suited for these applications as the compression of the O-ring enables them to withstand higher pressures.
Not to be Mistaken for AN (Army Navy) Fittings
JIC fittings are also commonly confused with AN (Army Navy) fittings. Although the two are dimensional identical, the AN military standard calls for tighter tolerances and defines all fitting types, where the JIC uses AN specifications as the base line for their own standards and covers fewer sizes. For these reasons JIC and AN fittings are not functionally interchangeable and so care needs to be taken to properly identify your connection to create a safe and leak resistant seal.
QC Hydraulics is an ideal supplier to wholesalers, distributors and large contractor of hose and fittings.