ABSTRACT
Several books and reviews have been published which detail the conversion of viscose rayon to carbon fibers [1-7]. Chapter 3 has described how carbon fiber first came onto the scene, way back in 1880, with the introduction of Thomas Edison’s electric lamp filaments made from cellulosic precursors. Almost 80 years later, in 1959, the National Carbon Company (a division of Union Carbide) introduced a carbon cloth from a rayon precursor, to be followed by a carbon yarn in 1961. These products are described by Cranch [8]. The best grade on offer was WYB cloth, which was processed at 2200C and although called graphite, was a form of carbon that was non-graphitizing.
