Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Rayon is a transparent fiber made of processed cellulose. Cellulose fibers from wood or cotton are dissolved in alkali to make a solution called viscose, which is then extruded through a nozzle, or spinneret, into an acid bath to reconvert the viscose into cellulose. Rayon was originally named artificial silk or wood silk, but the name rayon was created in 1924.
Rayon was originally named artificial silk or wood silk, but the name rayon was created in 1924. Unlike nylon, rayon absorbs water, making it more comfortable to wear as a clothing textile.
As well as viscose rayon, there are other types such as anitrocellulose rayon, developed in 1891 but discontinued because of its high flammability, and cuprammonium rayon, developed in 1890, which closely resembles silk.
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Rayon occupies a category of its own in fiber classification: it is neither a natural fiber harvested ready to spin nor a true synthetic built from petroleum monomers, but a regenerated cellulose fiber — a natural polymer dissolved and re-formed by industry. That is why regulators give it its own generic name and why the viscose process matters so much to its character. The extruded filaments emerge from the acid bath as pure cellulose again, so rayon breathes, absorbs moisture and takes dye much like cotton, while being producible as a smooth continuous filament that mimicked the lustre of silk at a fraction of silk's price. The early names artificial silk and wood silk say plainly what the fiber was sold to do, and the 1924 coinage rayon — suggesting the sheen of the sun's rays — gave the young industry a name that did not promise to be silk at all.
The cellulose base that makes rayon comfortable also sets its limits. Wet rayon loses a significant share of its strength, so rayon garments are washed gently and some are dry-cleaned; the fiber can shrink and stretch if handled roughly, and it wrinkles more readily than the synthetics that later competed with it. In return, mills get a fiber that drapes fluidly, dyes to deep and bright shades, blends readily with cotton, wool and polyester, and serves in everything from dress fabrics and linings to tire cord in its high-tenacity industrial form. The later manufactured cellulose fibers — acetate, lyocell and modal among them — all descend from the experiments that produced rayon, and understanding viscose, spinnerets and regeneration on this page is the foundation for understanding that whole branch of the fiber family tree.
Cellulose fibers from wood or cotton are dissolved in alkali to make a solution called viscose, which is extruded through a nozzle, or spinneret, into an acid bath to reconvert the viscose into cellulose. A similar process, using a slit instead of a hole, is used to make cellophane.
Unlike nylon, rayon absorbs water, making it more comfortable to wear as a clothing textile. Its cellulose base gives it a cool, smooth hand and good dye uptake, which is why it was first sold as artificial silk for linings, blouses and dresses.
As well as viscose rayon, there are other types such as nitrocellulose rayon, developed in 1891 but discontinued because of its high flammability, and cuprammonium rayon, developed in 1890, which closely resembles silk.