Energy-based method in seismic design of eccentrically braced frames

Consider that the structure to be designed is a multistory, multi-bay moment link EBFs with a selected global mechanism shown in Figure 1. After the formation of the yield mechanism, the drift of the frame is assumed to be uniform over the height of the structure and all of the energy is dissipated only in the plastic hinges. The inelastic drift of the structure is related to the plastic rotation θp of the frame so this procedure eliminates the need for a drift check after the structure is designed for strength as done in the current design practice.