Estimation of hysteretic energy demand using concepts of modal pushover analysis

Hysteretic energy dissipation in a structure during an earthquake is the key factor, besides maximum displacement, related to the amount of damage in it. This energy demand can be accurately computed only through a nonlinear time‐history analysis of the structure subjected to a specific earthquake ground acceleration. However, for multi‐story structures, which are usually modeled as multi‐degree of freedom (MDOF) systems, this analysis becomes computation intensive and time consuming and is not suitable for adopting in seismic design guidelines. An alternative method of estimating hysteretic energy demand on MDOF systems is presented here. The proposed method uses multiple ‘generalized’ or ‘equivalent’ single degree of freedom (ESDOF) systems to estimate hysteretic energy demand on an MDOF system within the context of a ‘modal pushover analysis’. This is a modified version of a previous procedure using a single ESDOF system. Efficiency of the proposed procedure is tested by comparing energy demands based on this method with results from nonlinear dynamic analyses of MDOF systems, as well as estimates based on the previous method, for several ground motion scenarios. Three steel moment frame structures, of 3‐, 9‐, and 20‐story configurations, are selected for this comparison. Bias statistics that show the effectiveness of the proposed method are presented. In addition to being less demanding on the computation time and complexity, the proposed method is also suitable for adopting in design guidelines, as it can use response spectra for hysteretic energy demand estimation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.