9. Conclusion

The nuclear industry has played a pioneering role in the development of detailed rules for the prevention of various modes of damage to installations, given the high level of safety expected of them. Detailed fatigue rules were introduced as early as the 1960s, and have been constantly improved since, and rules for analyzing the risk of sudden rupture were applied as early as the 1970s.

Feedback from operating experience then led to constant updating of design and manufacturing requirements, in view of the need to demonstrate that the margins specified in the design are maintained in service at all times. Developments by manufacturers and operators, both on their own and as part of international collaborations, have also contributed to this evolution.

More recently, the incorporation of the essential requirements of the European Pressure...