Equivalent Non-Linearization of Hysteretic Systems by Means of RPS

Background The analysis of elastoplastic systems with hardening (Bouc-Wen systems) under stochastic (seismic) loads needs the evaluation of higher order statistics even in the simplest case of normal distributed input. Objective In this paper, a non-linearization technique is proposed in order to evaluate the moments of any order of the response. Method This technique is developed by means of a nonlinear class of systems whose statistics are a priori known. The parameters of such systems can be chosen in such a way that the two systems are equivalent in a wide sense. Result & Conclusion In the paper, the strategy to obtain the equivalence and the reliability of the results are discussed.