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Abstract

The behavior of one-sixth scale tubular steel frame specimens employing X-bracing for resisting cyclic lateral loads is studied experimentally. The imposed cyclic displacements applied in a quasi-static manner simulate the effects of intense ground motions due to an earthquake. An offshore tower designed for wave and earthquake conditions appropriate for Southern California served as the prototype for the test frames. The paper reports the hysteretic behavior of the frames and braces under simulated seismic conditions.