In performance-based seismic design, controlled dissipation of earthquake energy without damage to primary structural members is of great importance. Rotational friction dampers (RFDs) are considered an effective solution due to their stable hysteretic behavior and high energy dissipation capacity. However, direct simulation of the nonlinear behavior of RFDs is difficult in conventional linear analyses. In this study, an equivalent linear model for the RFD based on the principle of work-energy e