“Solving problems is never boring”

Hanna Kristofferson is part of a group that?s vital to Atlas Copco?s product development. As a structural analyst, she makes sure the products are sound enough to be up to the job.

HANNA KRISTOFFERSON
Age: 37
Job: Specialist Mechanical Analysis (Rocktec division, Örebro)
Joined Atlas Copco: 2006
Best part of the job: ?It?s never boring ? and you never stop learning.?

I?m a structural analyst in the Rocktec division and my field is solid mechanics, so it?s up to me and my colleagues to ensure that the products live up to quality demands in that regard. We might be involved in product updates, new product development or failures, for instance. Our job is to analyze strength and service life, and to predict behavior. We carry out calculations for everything from components to complete vehicle models ? so it?s quite a broad scope. We might be looking at welded or bolted joints, or the consequences of making small holes in sheet metal for hosing purposes.

WHEN WORKING ON product development, we have to understand the application and the conditions it will be exposed to. We look at all of the parts of the product and apply different loads and use boundary conditions in our equations. It?s all done in a virtual environment, using information about the geometry and material that we get from other Atlas Copco teams ? mainly working with finite element software. Since Atlas Copco?s equipment is used in very diverse environments, we also use statistics. We work closely with design engineers throughout the analysis process.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE in my work is to help adapt the models so that the finished product satisfies the required quality and performance standards. Field measurements are made to verify our analyses. Coming up with solutions to problems I?ve never dealt with before can also be pretty demanding, but that?s part of the attraction. The job is all about being analytical and solving problems ? and that?s never boring. It also feels great to be part of something bigger: I love it when I play a part in enhancing something so that the customer gets a better product.”