Apparatus for feeding cementitious slurry onto a moving web

A slurry feed apparatus for depositing a slurry upon a moving forming web having a direction of travel, comprising:

• a headbox mounted transverse to the direction of travel of the moving forming web, having a horizontal bottom surface and a spillway which is downwardly inclined from a front lip of the headbox and the spillway for directing slurry from the horizontal bottom surface of the headbox over the front lip and down the inclined surface of the spillway onto the moving forming web;
• vertical edge boards, comprising a headbox back edge board opposed to the front lip of the spillway and the headbox and two opposed headbox side edgeboards, on three respective sides of the headbox are positioned to permit build-up of slurry on the horizontal bottom surface of the headbox and prevent slurry from spilling over the sides and back of the headbox;
• pivot pins mounted on the outer surface of the two opposed headbox side edge boards for mounting the headbox on respective opposed side walls of a conveyor for the moving forming web through use of vertically adjusted open yokes with means for adjusting a tilt angle of the headbox up and down as well as side to side to control the flow of slurry down said spillway;
• a vibrator mounted on the outer surface of at least one of the vertical edge boards of the headbox for vibrating the headbox;
• a reciprocating slurry delivery mechanism constructed and arranged for providing slurry to the headbox;
• and
• wherein the inclined spillway is positioned to be above the moving forming web but not to be in contact with the slurry on the moving forming web.