Hysteretic structural vibrations under random load

The nonstationary and stationary response of a lightly damped hysteretic structural system to white random load are considered. The hysteretic behavior is examined by using a model consisting of an infinite collection of elastoplastic elements, the yield loads of which are probabilistically specified. An equivalent linear system is constructed for the original hysteretic system. This system is used to obtain approximate solutions for the statistics of the response amplitude. The analytical results are used to perform a variety of parameter studies.