One of the biggest challenge for structural engineers is to design a safety structure that is going to resist during seismic activities, therefore the concept of strong column and weak-beam. To withstand those loading that sometimes tend to overpass the elastic limit and lead to the collapse mechanism, it is crucial to perform the pushover analysis that is a non-linear static analysis where the structure is subjected to lateral stresses. As a result, various characteristics are recorded, including failure, the development of plastic hinges, and yield. Since the columns are the components from which all the loads are transferred to the foundation, having more rigid columns rather than beams is important in the formation of plastic hinges. The elastic stiffness factor measures how well a structure can withstand stresses before failing and having plastic hinges. The aim of this paper is to make a contrast on the zone of plastic hinges formation with respect of the concept of strong column and weak-beams but also the assessment of the stiffness factor. In order to fulfil the purpose of this study using ETABS software, pushover analysis has been performed on 12 two-dimensional reinforced concrete and steel frames with variation of span length and number of span. The pushover analysis gave the hinges formation zone and the stiffness factor has been evaluated using the pushover curve. The study shown that, the distribution of the plastic hinges and stiffness are affected by the span length, the number of span but also the material because reinforced concrete frames are found to be safer and stiffer than steel frames. The stiffness is found for the Reinforced concrete to decrease with around 50% and 40% of decrease is observed for steel frames.

Keywords : Strong Column Weak-Beam (SCWB), Reinforced Concrete (RC), Collapse Mechanism, Pushover Analysis and Stiffness Factor.