Support beam for the rectifier section of a headbox

Claim 1

Apparatus for use with a paper machine, having a headbox mixing chamber to receive a flow of stock therein for passage of the stock to an outlet slice, in combination with a shallow rectifier section positioned in stock conducting relation between said mixing chamber and said slice, said rectifier section comprising a top section plate and a bottom section plate for conducting said stock therebetween, each said plate extending substantially the full width of the rectifier section, a support beam structure secured to one said plate on the side thereof remote from the other said plate, to provide structural support to said one plate against deflection thereof when the apparatus is in use, and a plurality of load transfer divider wall means positioned across the width of the rectifier section in mutually spaced relation to divide the space between said top and bottom plates into a plurality of substantially parallel flow channels, said divider wall means securing said top plate to said bottom plate in tied, deformation resisting relation along the length of said channels, to transfer the stiffness of said beam structure to the other said plate for substantially the full length of the rectifier section between said mixing chamber and said slice.