Electrical documentation and graphic symbols

Standardization of the concepts traditionally grouped under the heading "Electrical diagrams and graphic symbols" strictly follows the work carried out within the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) Technical Committee No. 3 (TC 3), whose title has been changed to "Information structures. Documentation and graphic symbols". From the 2000s onwards, this title reflects the activities that have become necessary to meet the needs of companies, one of which is to have more information available today, accessible, if necessary, in the form of data and not just succinct information, presented since the beginning of the twentieth century mainly in graphic form.

The work is carried out by the national committees whose interests are at stake, and then approved within the IEC by all the national committees, leading to the establishment of international standards such as IEC 60XXX. The application of these documents is a prerequisite for the implementation of all electrical and electronic engineering techniques. IEC standards are therefore generally adopted identically, in the form of European standards (EN 60XXX), which are themselves usually approved as national standards in the form NF EN 60XXX.

For reasons of convenience, in particular to facilitate exchanges, the reference of the European standard is given where it already exists at the time of writing, together with the date of the IEC standard from which it is derived. Failing this, the reference of the IEC standard is given, which, in view of the increasing internationalization of industrial and commercial processes, contains the most recent provisions adopted by the bodies of the participating nations. All the standards quoted can be obtained from the Association française de normalisation (AFNOR). Direct consultation of the Internet sites is also possible,

http://www.iec.ch/catlg-f.htm

and

http://www.iec.ch/catlg-e.htm

provides real-time information on the progress of IEC standards in the French and English versions, respectively, at IEC and TC3 levels, while the :

http://www.ute-fr.com

provides information on the state of standardization at European and national levels, as part of the work carried out by UTE (Union Technique de l'Électricité et de la Communication).

The extracts and comments given in this fascicule are for information only: in terms of standardization, only the latest edition of the complete reference document — symbols, diagrams and texts — approved...