Isaac Babbitt’s Inventions

Posted in Reflections on 5th December 2011

William Rowland are a leading supplier of White Metal Bearing Alloys (Babbitt Metal).

Isaac Babbitt was born in Taunton, Massachusetts on 26th July 1799 and started his career in metals as a goldsmith, but he soon turned his attention to the production of alloys. He produced the first Britannia metal to be manufactured in the USA in 1824. This alloy has similar properties to pewter, and the production of utensils and flatware was very popular at the time and pewter was the material of choice for these products. These products were originally imported and Isaac Babbitt hoped to supply his Britannia metal as an alternative for their production, however it proved to be financially unsuccessful.

Following this unsuccessful venture, he soon began work at the South Boston Iron Company, also known as Alger's foundries, where he made the first brass cannon in the USA.

Isaac Babbitt's most famous invention was the white bearing metal, which he named after himself. Babbitt is a soft metal that can be easily damaged so it seems an unlikely candidate for a bearing surface. This appearance is deceptive as the structure of the alloy is made up of small hard crystals that are dispersed in the matrix of a softer alloy. As the bearing begins to wear and the crystals become exposed, the eroding areas provide a path for lubricant between high spots that are the actual bearing surface. Modern Babbitt is applied to stronger metals such as iron, steel and bronze to provide a low-friction lining for bearing shells.

If you need to select Babbitt for a particular application then a number of factors need to be taken into consideration, such as the surface speed of the shaft and the load that the bearing is expected to carry. Other points that should also be considered are:

Continuity of service
Bonding possibilities
Cooling facilities
Lubrication
Cleanliness
Attention given to the bearings

A high tin alloy is best suited when a bearing is expected to be highly loaded in comparison to its size, but for slower speed work and lighter loads, a lead base alloy should be used.

Unfortunately, the inventor of the white bearing metal spent his last years in an asylum in Somerville, Massachusetts where he died at age 63 in 1862 from overwork and stress.

William Rowland Ltd are white metal bearing alloy suppliers, and if you would like to find out how we can meet your requirements, please contact us using the Quick Enquiry Form on the right-hand side of this website.

Tags: Tin Alloys News, White Metal Bearing Alloys (Babbitt Metal) News