Origin

Rayon is the first fibre to be made by man and was sold as an artificial silk. It is made from the cellulose in the pulp of trees or cotton. The invention of rayon came when a disease that affected silkworms threatened to halt silk production in France during the 1860’s. Count Hilaire de Chardonnet was studying a way to save the silk industry and came up with the idea of creating an artificial silk. During the year 1885 he created the first usable fibre from cellulose. Until the year 1925 it was known as artificial silk and the Federal Trade Commission renamed the fibre Rayon.

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Preparation

When made from trees Rayon normally is based off the pulp off pine, spruce and hemlock trees. There are three main processes in the preparation of Rayon fibres. These are purifying cellulose, producing filaments and spinning.

The first step to preparing Rayon is purifying cellulose. This happens when sheets of cellulose are put in a sodium hydroxide solution which will turn the cellulose alkaline. The sheets are then dried and shredded before being left in metal containers for up to 3 days. After this the shredded cellulose and mixed with carbon disulfide where it becomes a honey like consistency. The mixture is then aged for up to 5 days before being filtered to remove any impurities.  The mixture is next put through a spinneret into a tank of acid which turns the mixture into a solid substance.

The next step of producing Rayon Fibres is called spinning. This is when the fibres are spun into yarn ready to be turned into fabric. The way the fibres are spun depends on what type of yarn is desired. The fibres are spun onto spools ready to be turned into fabric.

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Physical Properties Of Fibres

Rayon is a hydrophillic fibre which is even more absorbent than cotton. The downside to its absorbance is that  it loses up to 50% of its strength when it has absorbed water. It is fairly strong when dry.

It is a very comfortable and breathable fibre.

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Aesthetic Properties Of Fibres

Rayon is a fibre which is very easy to dye in any colour due to its high absorbency. It does not produce any static and does not pill. Rayon is not usually damaged with the use of acids or bleach to its surface and on its own when not blended has a high lustre. The downside to Rayon is that it is prone to creasing and shrinks under high heat. It also does not resist mildew.

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References

Textile School. (2018). Manmade Regenerated Cellulose Fibers.Available: http://www.textileschool.com/448/man-made-regenerated-cellulose-fibres/. Last accessed 14/01/19

How products are made. (2019). Rayon. Available: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Rayon.html. Last accessed 14/01/19.

Textile School. (2018). Characteristics of Rayon Fiber. Available: https://www.textileschool.com/195/characteristics-of-rayon-fiber/. Last accessed 14/01/19.

fabric whole sale direct. (2019). RAYON CHALLIS . Available: https://www.fabricwholesaledirect.com/products/rayon-challis-fabric. Last accessed 14/01/19.

Trusted Clothes. (2016). RAYON-PRODUCTION. Available: https://www.trustedclothes.com/blog/2016/04/21/ethical-fabrics-to-consider-the-ugly-draft/rayon-production/. Last accessed 14/01/19.

Camille Myers Breeze, Tegan Kehoe. (2013). Rayon Through the Years, Part II. Available: http://www.museumtextiles.com/blog/category/rayon. Last accessed 14/01/19.