Tin and lead base babbitts, are among the most widely used bearing materials.

They have an ability to embed dirt and have excellent compatibility properties under boundary lubrication. In small bushings for fractional-horsepower motors and in automotive engine bearings, babbitt is generally used as a thin coating over a steel strip. For larger bearings in heavy-duty equipment, thick babbitt is cast on a rigid backing of steel or cast iron. After machining, the babbitt layer is usually 1/81/4 in. thick. Compared with other bearing materials, babbitts generally have lower loadcarrying capacity and fatigue strength, are slightly more costly, and require a more complicated design. Also, their strength decreases rapidly with increasing temperature. These shortcomings can often be avoided by using an intermediate layer of high-strength, fatigue-resisting materials between the steel backing and the thin babbitt surface layer. Such composite bearings frequently eliminate any need for alternative materials with poorer compatibility characteristics.