Linear bearing having replaceable insert

Claim 1

A linear bearing comprising: a base element having an elongated slot, an insert mounted within said slot, said insert being fabricated from a low-friction material and said base element being fabricated from a rigid material different from said base element material, said insert having a bottom wall and a pair of spaced upright sidewalls defining therebetween an upwardly-open groove, said sidewalls being flexible in a direction transverse to said slot and having smooth outer surfaces tapering inwardly toward one another in a downward direction, interengaging means on said base element and said insert for releasably retaining said insert in said slot, said interengaging means including a pair of inwardly extending ledges on said base element and a complementary pair of notches extending along the upper margins of the tapered sidewall surfaces coextensive in length with the insert, said base element ledges extending into said slot and terminating in spaced relation for cooperating with said tapered sidewall surfaces to flex said sidewalls inwardly when said insert is displaced downwardly into said slot, said ledges overlying the shoulders to secure the insert to the base element when the insert is mounted in the slot with the ledges of the base element received in the notches of the insert, whereby the insert is capable of expanding and contracting relative to the base element while being capable of being readily removed and replaced.