Abstract
This paper develops a new analytical technique for the assesment of stochastic earthquake responses of a multimass building structure with bi-linear hysteretic characteristics by extending and making use of the previously developed analytical procedure, the availability of which has already been ascertained where the building structure is a single degree-of-freedom system under quasi-stationary white noise excitations. After the availability of this new technique for the multi-mass structural system was first confirmed by comparatively investigating the non-stationary response processes of a two degree-of-freedom system subjected to quasi-stationary white noise excitations through the simulation technique and this new one, it is studyed what influence such the elasto-plastic dynamical parameters as the second slopes and the elastic limit deformations associated with bi-linear hysteretic characteristics has on the stationary r.m.s. relative displacement response distribution.
