Resisting Lateral Forces: Connections for Moment Frames and Braced Frames

This course consists of four, 1.5 hour sessions and is intended as an introduction to connections used in moment frames and braced frames.

Session 1 - Moment Connections, Part I: covers wind and low seismic moment connection design. Various moment connections are discussed, including directly welded flange, welded flange-plated, and bolted flange-plated moment connections. Column side limit states will be discussed followed by the presentation of a design example.

Session 2 - Moment Connections, Part II: will provide an introduction to moment connections with prying forces, including tee-stub and end-plate moment connections, with a focus on gravity / wind design. This session will review concepts, design procedures, and design examples consistent with AISC Design Guide 39.

Session 3 - Bracing Connections: presents information on light and heavy bracing connections and discussed the differences and similarities between the two. Typical details for light and heavy connections will be presented. Member, bolt and weld limit states will be reviewed. The presentation then introduces the Uniform Force Method for designing bracing connections.

Session 4 - Introduction to Seismic Connections: gives an overview of seismic connections for engineers that don’t typically perform seismic design. The concepts of ductile mechanisms and capacity design will be introduced. The characteristics of special and intermediate moment frame connections will be explained, and the current prequalified moment connection types will be discussed. The session will also cover the design of special concentrically braced frame connections. Brief design examples highlighting key calculations for both moment and bracing connections will be presented to demonstrate the concepts.

Are you already registered as a group and need to add more colleagues? Add to your group registration here.

Course Schedule

Live broadcast for all sessions 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Central

March 18, 2026	Moment Connections, Part I	Brad Davis
March 25, 2026	Moment Connections, Part II	Matthew Eatherton
April 1, 2026	Bracing Connections	Brad Davis
April 8, 2026	Introduction to Seismic Connections	Matthew Eatherton

Individual Registration

Register one person. Each registrant has access to the course including the live webinar, recording, and quiz for each session, the final exam, and a certificate.

$250 Member
$450 Non-Member
$125 Student/Faculty
Government Agency: Discounts available. Contact registration@aisc.org.
This course is included in LearningPass subscription

Group Registration

Register an unlimited number of people from your company roster. Each registrant has access to the course including the live webinar, recording, and quiz for each session, and a certificate.

The group registration option is flexible--either pre-register participants so that everyone can view at their own connection, or post-register everyone who attends the presentation at a single connection (e.g. conference room). Either way, everyone may earn a certificate.

$740 Member
$1140 Non-Member
Government Agency: Discounts available. Contact registration@aisc.org.
This course is included in LearningPass subscription

Recording access! Multi-webinar courses allow both group and individual registration options access to the live broadcasts and the recordings! Earning PDH credit for viewing a recorded session requires passing a quiz. Access to all recordings and quizzes ends on May 8, 2026.

Substitution and Cancellations: Substitutions may be made at any time. Cancellations received 1-3 days prior to the webinar will be charged a $50 service charge. Cancellations and no shows the day of the webinar session will not receive a refund.

Are you already registered as a group and need to add more colleagues? Add to your group registration here.

Speakers

Brad Davis, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky where he is responsible for all steel design coursework and has received excellence in teaching awards. As the owner of Davis Structural Engineering, LLC, he provides consulting services for structural vibration, steel connections, forensics, and advanced steel design applications. Dr. Davis earned his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and has an S.E. license and P.E. licenses in 14 states. Dr. Davis has been a member of the AISC Committee on Manuals for over 20 years and is a consultant for the Steel Solutions Center. He has published approximately two dozen papers on vibration, and has presented continuing education courses for vibrations and steel connections to various industry and professional groups.

Matthew Eatherton, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. He started at Virginia Tech in 2010 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Before entering the PhD program, he worked as a practicing structural engineer for seven years, most of which in San Francisco, California designing buildings to resist seismic loads. His research has focused on understanding and improving the behavior of steel seismic systems, steel moment frame connections, developing new structural systems with enhanced seismic performance, and floor systems for steel buildings. He is an active member of the AISC Manuals committee and two AISC technical committees as well as contributing to BSSC PUC issue teams. He has received several awards including the 2012 AISC Milek Faculty Fellowship, 2015 NSF CAREER Award, 2016 ASCE Moissef Paper award, 2016 AISC Early Faculty Award, and at Virginia Tech, was named the Raymond G. and Madelyn Ann Curry Faculty Fellow in 2018. He coauthored the AISC Design Guide 39 entitled End-Plate Moment Connections with Thomas M. Murray.