JM
Jonathan Marshall
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Engineering Expert witness with 20+ years of experience and inventor on 73 published US patents.
About
Technical expert in Mechanical Engineering with 20 years of experience. Inventor on 73 issued patents. Design experience in the oil & gas, road milling, mining, renewables, modular housing, personal powered air-purifying respirator, and consumer markets.
Oil & Gas - Thirteen years designing innovative tools for SLB. Special expertise in drilling tools including drill bits, steering systems, measurements while drilling (MWD) tools, logging while drilling (LWD) tools, bent mud motors, expandable underreamers, turbine generators, mud pulsers, wired drill pipe, American Petroleum Institute (API) threaded connections, hammers, and electromechanical actuators. The drilling environment required certifying these tools would survive at 150 C, 20,000 psi, and continuous 200 g shock. Other oil & gas projects include a top drive swivel, mud pump piston hardening, wireline side wall coring, well intervention crawler, side tracking coiled tubing drilling crawler, casing while drilling system, well abandonment casing cutter, and fracking needle valve. Several projects are highlighted below.
Drill Bit with Shaped Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) - Introduced Shaped PDC drill bits to the industry. Ran extensive full-scale test program with vertical mining rig in a quartz mine to optimize bit profile, cutter spacing, cutter shape, and number of blades. Varied weight on bit (WOB), revolutions per minute (RPM), flow rate, and pressure drop across bit to find optimal drilling parameters. Leached shaped PDC to increase wear resistance and cutter life. Performed extensive single cutter testing in granite and quarts blocks on vertical turret lathe (VTL) with load cells to measure forces and expose any delamination issues.
Rotary Steerable System (RSS) - Increased drilling efficiency by 40% in deviated wells with step-change push-the-bit RSS, PowerDrive NeoSteer, eliminating a trip by enabling operator to drill bend and lateral in a single run. Designed custom test site with 10’x10’x120’ cement blocks, horizontal rig, high pressure mud pump, and control room. Added sensors to equipment to measure pressure differential, top drive position, temperature, and flow rate. Performed final testing, prior to field deployment, on SLB test oil rig in shale formation.
High Frequency Torsional Oscillation (HFTO) Suppressor Damping Tool - Eliminated tool failures causing lost in hole incidents and requiring fishing. The HFTO suppressor utilizes tungsten carbide rings in a viscous fluid to dampen torsional oscillations due to the drill bit and rock cutting interaction, and the natural frequency of the BHA below the mud motor.
Diamond Valve & Generator - Led the 10-year research project to utilize polycrystalline diamond as a solution to wear and life issues for moving components in the bottom hole assembly (BHA). Helped to optimize cubic diamond press parameters and cube design to enable larger PDC components. Iterated dozens of possible valve types including poppet, spool, and rotary along with several drive systems including solenoid, AC motor, and piezoelectric. Solved valve sticking and pressure locking issues. Developed custom laser cutting system to shape diamond components with .0001” accuracy.
Drilling Dynamics Logger - Designed mechanical package and mounting system encasing a custom printed circuit board (PCB) with accelerometers, magnetometers, high temperature battery, and custom read out connector. Measured shock, vibration, temperature, and azimuthal orientation to monitor bit dynamics and stick-slip. Extensive finite element analysis (FEA) and testing proving tool performance at 20,000 psi differential, 150 C temperature rise, and 200 G shock. Ran computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to optimize flow and wear life.
Mining and Road Milling Picks - Conducted analysis on stress in pick bodies including braze interfaces between diamond inserts, tungsten carbide bolsters, and steel bodies. Analyzed alternative retention methods including bolted connections. Performed full scale tests on road milling machines and field tests on continuous miner in coal mines.
Hydrogen Generator - Optimized system for ceramic geometry and reaction surface area. Developed designs for sealing between ceramic and stainless steel with drastic differences in thermal expansion coefficient under extreme temperature changes. Designed and built high temperature test cells used to optimize ceramic material properties.
Personal Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) - Redesigned PAPR for manufacturability and launched initial commercial product. Incorporated N95 filter to remove hazardous airborne particles. Designed manufacturing process and assembly lines. Developed custom injection molded parts.
Overhead Hoists - Designed lifting system to store furniture overhead including beds, closets, and platforms. Researched many lifting devices including garage door mechanisms and springs, strap hoists, winches, and cranes. System included a wire management system and motion control electronics. Led the development of control system and software to ensure the safe operation of overhead storage.
Modular Housing - Designed preassembled subcomponents to only require simple operations such as screwing, taping, or plugging together during final assembly. No electricians, plumbers, or HVAC specialists required during assembly. Performed structural analysis of modules for wind and transport loading.
Plant Management - Managed prototype machine shop and testing facility for five years. Equipment included computer numerical control (CNC) 4-axis lathes, CNC 5-axis mills, wire and plunge electron discharge machines (EDM), 5-ton overhead cranes, grinders, fork lifts, 3D laser scanner, optical comparator, fume hood, abrasive blast cabinet, bit brazing oven, 1000 psi mud pumps, desander & desilter, vertical & horizontal drill rigs, hydraulic tongs, and pipe handling crane. Ensured all safety trainings were held and safety equipment were available and used properly.
Engineering Processes - Managed teams of 5-20 engineers performing the following processes for 15 years: engineering design, computer aided drafting (CAD), technical drawings, custom PCB design, prototyping, assembly, functional testing, field testing, and shipping. Responsible for outcomes and safety of employees during all phases of projects and processes.
Material Processes - Experienced with the following material forming processes: machining, gun drilling, aluminum extrusion, 3D printing, tube seam welding, tube flaring, drill bit brazing and hard facing, wire soldering, plastic injection molding, thermoforming, press-fitting, shrink-fitting, and gluing.
Materials - Many years of experience designing with the following materials: steel, stainless steel, aluminum, Inconel, tungsten carbide, Zirconia, alumina, polycrystalline diamond, Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Teflon, and Buna and Viton rubbers.
Mechanisms and Components - Designed with or aspects of all of the following: whipstock, diamond press, gear pump, vane pump, progressive cavity pump, gear box, spool valve, pressure release valve, down-hole ball drop, bulkheads, ball bearings, journal bearings, thrust bearings, O-rings, shaft seals, face seals, metal-to-metal seals, snap rings, bolts, nuts, heat shrink, wiring contacts and wiring harnesses.
Methodology & Approach
Supported by an experienced team with collectively over 60 years of expert witness experience, I deliver strong technical reports based on detailed study and research of the documents provided as well as relying on credible resources to support my opinions, such as standards and professional publications. I only work on what I have been directed to work on by counsel to meet deadlines and stay within cost expectations. I love learning new things, but will inform counsel if a case is outside of my expertise and will direct them to the right expertise if needed. As I am relied upon for my unbiased opinion, I ensure that I am comfortable with every opinion I provide that will bolster the client's position, and will inform counsel by phone when the evidence is not in the client's favor.
Expert Witness Experience
Personally retained as the expert on 1 personal injury and 3 patent cases.
Prepared detailed reports and declarations for over 40 cases as the lead associate.
Case Types
Patent: infringement analysis, non-infringement analysis, validity analysis, invalidity analysis, Prior Art Searches, Claim Construction, Design intent Personal injury: Failure reconstruction, Safety Analysis, Inspections, Design defect vs. Manufacturing defect, for both plaintiff and defense
Notable Matters
Patent analysis: proppant silo conveyors, fluid bearings, air purifiers, office chairs, stick-on nails, lawn mowers, desks, safety equipment, coolers, nozzles, skid steers, rock crushers, and baby formula dispensers. Personal injury: cases involving road pavers, fork lifts, scissor lifts, exercise bikes, water purification systems, swings, trampolines, golf carts, loading appliances, metal gas cans, and foam pits.
Education & Credentials
Education
BS Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, 2006
MBA, Brigham Young University, 2013
Certifications & Licenses
Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)
Certified Overhead Crane Inspector, Crane Institute of America
Certified Rigging Inspector, Crane Institute of America
Certified Forklift Operator
Certified Scissor Lift Operator
Publications & Media
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Publication
US Patents
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Publication
Interviewed on The Expert Witness Pod Cast
Additional Credentials
US Patent 7,934,570 Data and/or Power Swivel
US Patent 9,038,739 Oil-well tubular anchoring system for LWD/MWD tools
US Patent 9,880,311 Wear resistant electrodes for downhole imaging
US Patent 9,989,665 Wear resistant electrodes for downhole imaging
US Patent 11,028,685 Downhole rate of penetration measurement
US Patent 11,255,143 Pressure range control in a downhole transducer assembly
US Patent 11,767,723 Downhole transducer assemblies and pressure range control therein
US Patent 12,018,556 Systems and methods of controlling downhole behavior
US Patent 7,624,821 Constricting flow diverter
US Patent 8,371,400 Downhole tool actuation
US Patent 8,365,820 System for a downhole string with a downhole valve
US Patent 8,365,821 System for a downhole string with a downhole valve
US Patent 8,365,842 Ratchet mechanism in a fluid actuated device
US Patent 10,830,359 Needle tip and seat for a choke valve
US Patent 10,927,647 Systems and methods for directing fluid flow
US Patent 10,947,814 Pilot controlled actuation valve system
US Patent 11,549,593 Needle tip and seat for a choke valve
US Patent 11,608,719 Controlling fluid flow through a valve
US Patent 11,795,781 Actuation valve system with pilot and main valves
US Patent 11,796,068 Needle tip and seat for a choke valve
US Patent 9,976,348 Tightly-closing dynamic assembly
US Patent 10,030,704 Systems and devices using hard bearings
US Patent 10,683,895 Systems and devices using hard bearings
US Patent 10,711,833 Hard bearing attachment and alignment systems, apparatus, and techniques
US Patent 8,353,354 Crawler system for an earth boring system
US Patent 7,537,051 Downhole power generation assembly
US Patent 7,730,972 Downhole turbine
US Patent 8,201,645 Downhole tool string component that is protected from drilling stresses
US Patent 8,267,196 Flow guide actuation
US Patent 8,297,375 Downhole turbine
US Patent 8,408,336 Flow guide actuation
US Patent 10,113,399 Downhole turbine assembly
US Patent 10,439,474 Turbines and methods of generating electricity
US Patent 10,472,934 Downhole transducer assembly
US Patent 10,907,448 Downhole turbine assembly
US Patent 11,639,648 Downhole turbine assembly
US Patent 7,404,725 Wiper for tool string direct electrical connection
US Patent 7,488,194 Downhole data and/or power transmission system
US Patent 7,537,053 Downhole electrical connection
US Patent 8,033,330 Tool string threads
US Patent 10,577,917 Downhole drill bit chassis
US Patent 10,669,786 Two-part bit wiring assembly
US Patent 10,731,420 Indexing drill bit
US Patent 11,220,865 Downhole drilling apparatus with rotatable cutting element
US Patent 8,333,254 Steering mechanism with a ring disposed about an outer diameter of a drill bit and method for drilling
US Patent 8,342,266 Timed steering nozzle on a downhole drill bit
US Patent 8,820,440 Drill bit steering assembly
US Patent 9,085,941 Downhole tool piston assembly
US Patent 10,633,923 Slidable rod downhole steering
US Patent 10,837,234 Unidirectionally extendable cutting element steering
US Patent 11,053,961 Piston control via adjustable rod
US Patent 11,118,408 Downhole steering system and methods
US Patent 11,125,020 Downhole drilling apparatus with drilling, steering, and reaming functions and methods of use
US Patent 11,542,805 Marking and sensing a borehole wall
US Patent 11,788,359 Downhole steering system and methods
US Patent 11,795,763 Downhole tools having radially extendable elements
US Patent 7,661,487 Downhole percussive tool with alternating pressure differentials
US Patent 7,730,975 Drill bit porting system
US Patent 8,225,883 Downhole percussive tool with alternating pressure differentials
US Patent 8,297,378 Turbine driven hammer that oscillates at a constant frequency
US Patent 8,172,009 Expandable tool with at least one blade that locks in place through a wedging effect
US Patent 8,281,880 Expandable tool for an earth boring system
US Patent 9,556,682 Underreamer for increasing a wellbore diameter
US Patent 10,190,368 Underreamer for increasing a wellbore diameter
US Patent 10,947,787 Underreamer for increasing a wellbore diameter
US Patent 7,648,210 Pick with an interlocked bolster
US Patent 7,946,656 Retention system
US Patent 8,007,051 Shank assembly
US Patent 8,033,615 Retention system
US Patent 8,061,784 Retention system
US Patent 8,414,085 Shank assembly with a tensioned element
US Patent 10,920,412 Modular building unit and system
US Patent 11,479,981 Systems for releasably securing a platform