Modern steel braced frame buildings (post-1985) are considered to have relatively good seismic performance. Prior to 1985, there were no specific requirements for the design of steel braced frames. Many earlier buildings utilized tension only braces, weak connection, and K-braced frames. Typical damage to steel braced frame structures are as follows:
- Brace Failure (Buckling of the brace due to excessive load, high length to stiffness ratios, or local buckling due to thin wall braces)
- Connection Failure (Inadequate connection strength)
- Torsion or Overloading (Poor brace layout, redundancy or soft story irregularities)
- Column Failure (Generally associated with K-braces or excessive drift)
