This paper proposes a new procedure for predicting the maximum seismic response based on the capacity spectrum method (CSM) for the passively controlled suspended ceiling structures named “Pulley Damper Ceiling System (PDCS)”. The structural system has a supplemental nonlinear viscous damper and a bilinear hysteretic damper in parallel with displacement amplification mechanisms of block and tackle pulley system. The single degree-of-freedom model of the PDCS is initially discussed. The accuracy of a simplified calculation method for obtaining the structural equivalent damping coefficient, determined by the sum of the inherent damping and the square root of sum of squares (SRSS) of each damping provided by the nonlinear viscous damper and the bilinear hysteretic damper, is verified by comparing with the full-scale shake table test results of the PDCS. Then, the pseudo capacity curve of the structure is generated by continuously plotting the transition of maximum force and displacement values under different amplitudes of sinusoidal waves. Finally, the availability of the response prediction based on proposed CSM procedure considering floor response spectrum (FRS) is examined by the comparison of time history analysis results, and the sufficient accuracy to evaluate the seismic response is confirmed.
