Isaac Babbitt (July 26, 1799 in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 censu ...

– May 26, 1862 in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area ...

) was an American

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an id ...

. In 1839, he invented a bearing made of a low-friction tin-based metal alloy,

Babbitt metal 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 ...

, that is used extensively in engine bearings today. Babbitt was a goldsmith by trade, who experimented with metal

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...

s. In 1824, he made the first

Britannia metal Britannia metal (also called britannium or Britannia ware) is a specific type of pewter alloy, favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition by weight is typically about 92% tin, 6% antimony, and 2% copper. Britannia ...

manufactured in the United States, from which he sold table wares as Babbitt, Crossman & Company. As this proved financially unsuccessful, he withdrew, and in 1834 moved to Boston. There he engaged as superintendent for the South Boston Iron Company, better known as

Alger Alger may refer to: Places Algeria * French name for Algiers, the capital of Algeria ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alger * Alger (department), a former French department (1848-1962) Russia * Alger Island, Russia United States * Alg ...

's foundries, where he produced the first brass cannon in the United States. Also while there, in 1839, he invented the widely used metal now known as

, an alloy of four parts copper, eight of antimony, and twenty-four of Banca tin, used for reducing the friction of axles in heavy machinery. For this invention he received in 1841 a gold medal from the

Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (est.1795) of Boston, Massachusetts, was "formed for the sole purposes of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence." Founders included Paul Revere, Jonathan Hunnewell, ...

, and afterward the United States Congress granted him $20,000. He subsequently patented this material in England (1844) and in Russia (1847). For some time, he devoted his attention to the production of the metal, and he was also engaged in the manufacture of soap. He died in Somerville, Mass., May 26, 1862.

Patents

* "A Mode of Making Boxes for Axles and Gudgeons", U.S. Patent 1252, July 17, 1839

* "Metallic Hones for Sharpening Razors", U.S. Patent No. 10,5254, May 23, 1854

References

* "Isaac Babbitt", ''Appletons Encyclopedia'' * "Isaac Babbitt", ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' 1799 births 1862 deaths 19th-century American inventors American goldsmiths People from Taunton, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Massachusetts 19th-century American businesspeople Inventors from Massachusetts {{US-inventor-stub

Patents

See also

References