babbitt

Pigs and bars of Grade #2 Babbitt Babbitt metal or bearing metal is any of several alloys used for the bearing surface in a plain bearing.

The original Babbitt alloy was invented in 1839 by Isaac Babbitt in Taunton, Massachusetts, United States. He disclosed one of his alloy recipes but kept others as trade secrets. Other formulations were developed later. Like other terms whose eponymous origin is long-since deemphasized (such as diesel engine or eustachian tube), the term babbitt metal is frequently styled in lowercase. It is preferred over the term "white metal", because that term refers to zinc die-casting metal, to lead-based alloys and to tin-based alloys, in addition to bearing metal.