2004), “Review of the Development of the Capacity Spectrum Method

The Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM), a performance-based seismic analysis technique, can be used for a variety of purposes such as rapid evaluation of a large inventory of buildings, design verification for new construction of individual buildings, evaluation of an existing structure to identify damage states, and correlation of damage states of buildings to various amplitudes of ground motion. The procedure compares the capacity of the structure (in the form of a pushover curve) with the demands on the structure (in the form of response spectra). The graphical intersection of the two curves approximates the response of the structure. In order to account for non-linear inelastic behavior of the structural system, effective viscous damping values are applied to linear-elastic response spectra similar to inelastic response spectra. The paper summarizes the development of the CSM from the 1970s to the present and includes discussions on modifications presented by other researchers, as well as recommendations by the author