网页Babbitt (alloy) 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 [1] in Taunton, Massachusetts, United States. He disclosed one of his alloy recipes but kept others as trade secrets. [2]