In the structural system of eccentrically braced frames (EBFs), axial forces are transferred to the column or brace via shear and bending in a beam segment named “link” (Hjelmstad and Popov 1982). Figure 1 presents four typical EBF confgurations, where the link length is denoted by e. These frames have often been proposed as a less expensive and more valid alternative structure to the most commonly used moment-resisting frames (MRFs) and concentrically braced frames (CBFs), as EBFs could incorporate the advantages of both MRFs and CBFs. Indeed, as the presence of braces and links, EBFs are expected to have the characteristics of both high lateral stifness and high energy dissipation capacity (Bosco and Rossi 2009; Wang et al. 2016; Lian et al. 2015; Dusicka et al. 2010). The links serve as the structural fuses, yielding under severe earthquake loading and dissipating energy while the other frame components remain elastic (Speicher and Iii 2016). Rules for fabricating EBFs suggest that non-energy-dissipating members should be designed by forces multiplied by the magnifcation coeffcient (AISC341-10), which will lead to the oversized crosssections of columns and beams, and thus making it hard to be used in practical engineering. Also, the HSS exhibits a small yield-to-tensile ratio and weak plastic deformation capacity with the improvement of the strength (Azizinamimi and Barth 2004; Green and Sause 2002; Mans et al. 2001). To ensure the safety of the structures, which should have enough redundancy and plastic deformation capacity, steel in seismic areas are specifed by the following norms for the seismic design of buildings (GB50011-2010): (1) The ratio of the measured yield stress values to the measured tensile strength should not be greater than 0.85. (2) The steel should have an apparently yielding which using HSS (e.g., columns and beams) remain elastic or undergo partial yielding, while the links deform to dissipate energy sufciently. Therefore, the yield-to-tensile ratio and elongation are not strict requirements for HSS. In the related study, four K-type HSS–EBF specimens were tested at the Politehnica University of Timisoara in Romania (Dubina et al. 2008). These specimens used removable links fastened to beams using fush end-plate bolted connections. To investigate the seismic performance of HSSEBFs, a half-scale three-storey one-bay K-type HSS–EBF (K-HSS–EBF) specimen with shear links was tested under cyclic loading, and four groups of K-HSS–EBFs are designed and analyzed by pushover and dynamic to research the seismic response.