Alexander (Alex) Daniel Wilson, one of the steel industry's most distinguished metallurgical engineers, died on November 23, 2018, at the age of 73. During his 41-year career with ArcelorMittal USA (an AISC member) and its predecessor companies he helped advance the material properties of steel and in 2012 he was awarded an AISC Lifetime Achievement Award.
Wilson was well known and highly respected for the development and testing of new technologies for the bridge industry, including weathering steel and high-performance steels, both of which provide cost-effective and durable alternatives to other materials and are widely used in bridge construction today. He also contributed to innovations in welding, steel production and steel bridge design through his involvement with Steel Market Development Institute's (SMDI) corrosive advisory and welding groups. His influences reached beyond bridge applications, impacting military, structural, and pressure vessel applications with his high strength steel and weldability work.
Over the years, Wilson also conducted research with clean steels, fracture mechanic evaluations, plate steel development, published more than 65 papers and shaped the development of bridge material specifications. Looking to the next generation of talent, he oversaw the establishment of SMDI’s Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecture, which opens the Steel Bridge Task Force to promising structural engineers beginning their careers, providing a platform to present their research and new ideas.