Static pushover analysis based on an energy-equivalent SDOF system

In this paper, a new energy-based pushover procedure is presented in order to achieve an approximate estimation of structural performance under strong earthquakes. The steps of the proposed methodology are quite similar to those of the well-known displacement modification method. However, the determination of the characteristics of the equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (E-SDOF) system is based on a different rational concept. Its main idea is to determine the E-SDOF system by equating the external work of the lateral loads acting on the multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system under consideration to the strain energy of the E-SDOF system. After a brief outline of the theoretical background, a representative numerical example is given. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed method is evaluated by an extensive parametric study which shows that, in general, it provides better results compared to those produced by other similar procedures.