AbstractThe hybrid modelling method is presented herein along with the equivalent linearization method to take account of the strain‐dependent non‐linearity of soils in a soil‐structure interaction (SSI) seismic analysis. A refined substructuring of the soil‐structure system is utilized and two separate analyses are made to determine the soil free‐field and SSI motions induced by earthquake excitation. This method is used to predict the seismic response of a 1/4‐scale containment model built in the seismically active area of Lotung, Taiwan. The results obtained show excellent correlation with the field test results.