The 1994 Northridge earthquake just about dealt a deathblow to the popular steel moment-resisting frame by fracturing welded connections in numerous tall buildings in Los Angeles. In response, the building codes were altered to require testing for each different steel moment connection on a particular project. This prompted many engineers to design less-efficient braced frames, which are heavier and more cumbersome to build.

Structural engineer Ronald O. Hamburger, a principal in the San Francisco office of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, has led the effort to ressurect the steel moment frame by developing a standard set of preqaulified seismic connections. Structural engineers can now avoid the extra cost of testing, which run about $100,000 per connection. Using the standard connections also eliminates testing time, which can take months, and the risk that the connection might fail the test, sending the engineer back to the drawing board. Hamburger chaired the connection prequalification review panel of American Institute of Steel Construction Inc., which offers the standard as a "freePubs" download on AISC.org.