In January 1994, the Northridge, California earthquake caused unexpected damage to a number of welded
steel-framed buildings in the greater Los Angeles area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
funded a variety of investigations that sought to address both the immediate and long-term needs related to
solving the performance problems associated with welded steel moment-frame connections. Several
documents were published as a result of these investigations, including Recommended Specifications and
Quality Assurance Guidelines for Steel Moment-Frame Construction for Seismic Applications (FEMA 353)1.