IntroductionIn the past three decades, the steel plate shear wall (SPSW) configuration has been widely used as a lateral load resisting system in the regions of high seismicity. A typical SPSW consists of infill steel plates connected to the beams, known as the horizontal boundary elements (HBE); and to the columns, as the vertical boundary elements (VBE). All HBE-VBE connections are of moment resisting type.Many numerical researches have been and are being carried out to study the behavior of SPSW systems via the four available methods of analysis. Two methods are linear, known as Linear Static Procedure (LSP) and Linear Dynamic Procedure (LDP); and two methods are nonlinear, known as Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and Nonlinear Dynamic Procedure (NDP). The linear procedures are appropriate when the expected level of nonlinearity is low. In the SPSW system, the material nonlinearity is considerable as infill plates yield extensively. Therefore, nonlinear methods are proper tools to study the seismic behavior of such system. The nonlinear dynamic procedure, also known as the nonlinear time history analysis, is deemed to be the most accurate method; but it is complex, expensive and time consuming, especially when there are a large number of elements involved. On the other hand, the nonlinear static procedure, known as the pushover analysis, is a more convenient available method to the structural engineers; and is favored by practicing engineers. The nonlinear pushover analysis accounts for both geometric and material nonlinearities in buildings subjected to seismic loads. It also allows the tracing of the sequence of yielding and failure of members, as well as the progress of overall capacity of structures. On the other hand, prior to a cyclic test or analysis, pushover analyses are performed to predict the maximum strength and deformations of structures in order to develop a suitable loading history, evaluate the needs for instrumentation, establish the range of load and deformation measurements, and reduce the risk of unexpected behavior during experiments [1].In addition to the above mentioned applications, the pushover analysis has two further use in SPSW structures. According to the specifications of AISC-341 [2], Comm. F5., 3. Analysis,