The Yield-Link brace connection (YLBC) from Simpson Strong-Tie is an innovative solution for isolating damage to ensure that braced frames within structural steel buildings remain intact during a seismic or wind event. With predesigned, bolted connections, the YLBC simplifies design work, eliminates the need for field welding, and is easy to incorporate into new builds or retrofits. 

With the introduction of the Simpson Strong-Tie Yield-Link® brace connection for steel construction, the engineering and software development teams at Simpson Strong-Tie created multiple software tools to support users in their specification and detailing of the Yield-Link brace connections. The Yield-Link brace connection simplifies structural steel design while providing a connection that keeps steel buildings strong and safe. 

We’re hosting a series of webinars to help the structural steel community learn about the Yield-Link brace connection and how to use our software tools to incorporate the connection into their structural steel designs and details. 

This webinar series covers the topics below. Each webinar will include a live Q&A session with the speakers. 

#1: Simpson Strong-Tie Webinar: Design a Highly Resilient Steel Structure 

Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023 

Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET 

Duration: 1.5 hours. 

In this webinar, we’ll cover some of the biggest design challenges for braced frame connections in structural steel construction. We’ll discuss our innovative solutions such as the use of predesigned bolted connections that simplify design work and eliminate the need for any field welding, thereby ensuring a highly resilient steel structure, improving safety, and reducing overall project schedules and costs. 

#2: Simpson Strong-Tie Webinar: Overview of the Yield-Link® Brace Connection Software Tools 

Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2023 

Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET 

Duration: 1 hour. 

In part two of this webinar series, we’ll take a more in-depth look into the product development of the Yield-Link brace connection. We’ll learn about the product configurations, features, and benefits. We’ll learn about how the Yield-Link brace connection was developed and how it can benefit your structural steel design. In this webinar, you will also learn about our breadth of software tools. From Tekla, SAP2000 and ETABS plugins to full integration with the RAM Structural System, our broad range of solutions are designed to work seamlessly with whatever software you’re already using. 

#3: Simpson Strong-Tie Webinar: Yield-Link® Brace Connection Software Demonstration 

Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2023 

Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET 

Duration: 1 hour  

The final webinar of this series will focus on how to incorporate the Yield-Link brace connection using your current software. In this session, we’ll demonstrate our Tekla and ETABS-SAP2000 plugins, as well as the RAM Structural System. We’ll use project examples to show how seamlessly our various software tools and plugins work together to help you quickly and comprehensively model, analyze, design, and detail the Yield-Link brace connection.