This paper describes a beam-column element intended to model steel members
with flexural yielding, as well as members with yielding under combined fle
xure and axial force in frames subject to earthquake ground motions. The el
ement has the capability to model plastic axial deformation and changes in
axial stiffness, and it employs hardening rules to handle monotonic, cyclic
, or arbitrary loading. When compared with experimental results and fiber m
odel predictions, the element shows significantly better performance than t
ypical bilinear hinge models. The developed element can more accurately pre
dict local deformation demands and the overall response of structural syste
ms under earthquake loading than the bilinear hinge element.