Mustafa releases two engineering books
Mustafa Mahamid, a clinical associate professor in civil and material engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, recently released two books based on his research and practical experience in civil engineering.
The first edition of “Cross-Laminated Timber Design: Structural Properties, Standards, And Safety” was released on April 24 after two years of work.
The book explains the design standards, safety protocols, and codes and regulations engineers, architects, developers, and environmentalists need to know how to use cross-laminated timber as a structural building material. It features contributions from 11 industry experts who discuss the various topics, introduce the material properties of cross-laminated timer (CLT), and goes on to cover the recommended structural and architectural design techniques. It covers sustainability and environmental issues, and presents clear explanations of all relevant NDS, ASCE 7, and IBC provisions along with real-world examples and case studies.
“Cross-laminated timber is a new construction material in North America,” Mahamid said. “I started working on CLT at Brindley Engineering on a research project, and the topic and the new construction material was very interesting and attracted me to learn more and more. I started looking at all available resources, interacting with industry experts in this field to learn as much as possible. As an educator and engineer, I felt there is also a need for a go to reference in CLT that could be a textbook at one point taught in schools. The topic is still not taught in schools, but it will be in the near future. Additionally, I believe Cross-laminated Timber will be the future of the timber buildings in North America and around the world where timber is used as a construction material.”
The second book is the fifth edition of “Structural Engineering Handbook,” which was published on April 30 and took three years to complete
“The last update for the handbook was in 1997. I was approached by the publisher to update this handbook and I thought it is very necessary to have this document live for engineers in our profession,” Mahamid said.
This internationally renowned handbook has been the go-to reference for structural engineering specifications, codes, technologies, and procedures for 50 years. The comprehensive handbook has been completely rewritten and updated to conform with the current codes that govern structural design and materials, and features 62 industry experts contributing to various chapters. The 33-chapter resource contains real-world examples and detailed descriptions of today’s design methods that are concise, practical, and user-friendly.
“It is a main reference for students, young engineers, engineers taking their license exams, and engineers being exposed to new areas in structural engineering that need a good and easy reference,” he said.
Mahamid is also working on a book that covers the analysis and design of tall and super tall buildings that is scheduled to be published in 2021.
Learn more about the professor at https://cme.uic.edu/profiles/mustafa/