Suction box apparatus with composite cover elements mounted in slots on cross braces

Suction box apparatus for a papermaking machine, comprising:

• suction box means for removing water from a web conveyed across said suction box means by a porous conveyor belt when said suction box means is mounted in a papermaking machine, including a suction box having a length extending across the conveyor belt and a width extending along the conveyor belt;
• a suction box cover, including a plurality of cover strips of ceramic material extending along the length of the suction box and supported on a top portion of the suction box in spaced relationship to be located at positions spaced along the width of the suction box so that said conveyor belt engages the ceramic cover strips and said cover strips are separated by drainage slots;
• support means for supporting the ceramic cover strips, including support members of plastic material attached to the cover strips by bonded tongue and groove attachment means and extending along the length of the suction box, and including spaced cross braces of metal which extend across the support members at positions spaced along the length of the suction box;
• and
• releasable interlocking connection means for connecting the support members to the cross braces with releasable interlocking connections, including mounting slots in such cross braces which slidably engage mounting projections on the support members for releasable interlocking connection thereof which enable removal of the cover strips from the suction box by sliding said support members longitudinally in said mounting slots relative to said cross braces, said interlocking connections preventing movement of the support members within said mounting slots toward or away from the top portion of said suction box.