This document defines the minimum experimental evidence that can be deemed adequate to attempt to validate the use, in regions of high seismic risk or in structures assigned to satisfy high seismic performance or design categories, of weak beam/strong column moment frames not satisfying fully the prescriptive requirements of Chapter 21 of ACI 318-99. This document consists of both a Standard and a Commentary that is not part of the Standard. The document has been written in such a form that its various parts can be adopted directly into Sections 21.0, 21.1, and 21.2.1 of ACI 318-99 and the corresponding sections of ACI 318R-99. Among the subjects covered are requirements for: procedures that shall be used to design test modules, configurations for those modules, test methods, test reports, and determination of satisfactory performance.

The Commentary describes some of the considerations of the Innovation Task Group in developing the Standard. The section numbering for the Commentary is the same as that for the Standard, with numbers preceded by an "R" to distinguish them from the corresponding section numbers of the Standard.

The Commentary references documentary evidence, additional to the references of Chapter 21 of ACI 318R-99, that supports the Standard. Consistent with the approach of ACI 318-99 and ACI 318R-99, no comparison is made, either in the body of the Standard or its Commentary, of research results for test modules satisfying ACI 318-99 with those for modules that, although not satisfying ACI 318-99, do satisfy the Standard. Such comparisons, both experimental and analytical, are available in the references of the Commentary.