5. Generic materials

On a nuclear unit, there are countless items of equipment that could be described as "generic": their design is relatively standard, and they can be found on all kinds of circuits, both nuclear and conventional. Some are "mechanical" (valves, pipes, pumps, exchangers, tanks, etc.), others "electrical" (cables, motors, switchboards, batteries, etc.). Many of the problems that can affect them, and the measures that need to be taken, are similar from one circuit to the next. Of course, the levels of reliability targeted differ according to the role they play in the installation, but the possible causes of failure are relatively identical, as are the countermeasures that can be taken. Thus, equipment whose behavior can have an impact on safety is subject to reinforced measures, both during manufacture and operation, but the technical solutions to be implemented are often of the same nature...