Review article

Seismic load emerges as a result of kinematic disturbance. Therefore, this load is an inertial force and is proportional to the distributed mass of the structure. On this basis, the limit load must be determined as a solution of limit equilibrium problem in which the horizontal load is proportional to the distributed mass of the system and at the same time, take into account the self-weight. The limit seismic load is required for evaluating the desired ductility or plastic properties of structures under seismic effects, in particular, when using the energy-based method for evaluation of seismic resistance of structures. This article outlines a procedure that takes into account the self-weight of structural elements of frame structures in the calculation of limit seismic loads.