Nonlinear inelastic response history analysis of steel frame structures using plastic-zone method

•A nonlinear beam–column formulation for frame structures is developed.•Both distributed plasticity and geometric nonlinearities are considered.•The analysis results are clarified by ABAQUS and shaking table tests.•A new benchmark for development of practical advanced analysis methods.

A beam–column element formulation and solution procedure for nonlinear inelastic analysis of planar steel frame structures under dynamic loadings is presented. The spread of plasticity is considered by tracing the uniaxial stress–strain relationship of each fiber on the cross section of sub-elements. An elastic perfectly-plastic material model with linear strain hardening is employed for deriving a nonlinear elemental stiffness matrix, which directly takes into account geometric nonlinearity and gradual yielding. A solution procedure based on the combination of the Hilber–Hughes–Taylor method and the Newton–Raphson method is proposed for solving nonlinear equations of motion. The nonlinear inelastic time-history responses predicted by the proposed program compare well with those given by the commercial finite element package known as ABAQUS. Shaking table tests of a two-story steel frame were carried out with an aim to clarify the inelastic behavior of the frame subjected to earthquakes generated by the proposed program. A more practical analysis method for seismic design can be developed by comparing it with the presented frames for verification.