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An improved capacity‐demand‐diagram method that uses the well‐known constant‐ductility design spectrum for the demand diagram is developed and illustrated by examples. This method estimates the deformation of inelastic SDF systems consistent with the selected inelastic design spectrum, while retaining the attraction of graphical implementation of the ATC‐40 Nonlinear Static Procedure . One version of the improved method is graphically similar to ATC‐40 Procedure A whereas the second version is graphically similar to ATC‐40 Procedure B. However, the improved procedures differ from ATC‐40 procedures in one important sense. The demand diagram used is different: the constant‐ductility demand diagram for inelastic systems in the improved procedure versus the elastic demand diagram in ATC‐40 for equivalent linear systems. The improved method can be conveniently implemented numerically if its graphical features are not important to the user. Such a procedure, based on equations relating the yield strength reduction factor, R y , and ductility factor, μ, for different period, T n , ranges, has been presented, and illustrated by examples using three different R y ‐ μ ‐ T n relations.
Chopra et al. (Mon,) studied this question.