The British Rayon Research Association was a research institute formed in 1946 by the British Rayon Federation and others.The Times, November 29, 1946 page 10 It was funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and by voluntary funds from industry to investigate the chemical and physical properties of

rayon Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...

and rayon fabrics, using a wide range of laboratory and theoretical methods. John Wilson, who was its Director from 1948 to 1958 was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for his work at the BRRA.The Times, John Wilson obituary, 15 September 1976 It was located near Ringway Airport in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, initially, and then at

Heald Green Heald Green is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, south-west of Stockport near Manchester Airport, bordered by Gatley and Cheadle to the north, Cheadle Hulme to the east, Handforth and Styal to th ...

near

after 1955. Work from the Association included academic publication, that included papers by Leslie Treloar in the journal ''Polymer''. The BRRA sponsored

Andrew Donald Booth Andrew Donald Booth (11 February 1918 – 29 November 2009)

's early research into computing at Birkbeck and was home to the first of his All Purpose Electronic Computers built in 1952 Under Wilson's leadership, the staff of BRRA grew to nearly 300 and gained an international reputation in textiles research. The BRRA also offered annual Technological Scholarships in the Departments of Textiles at the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds.Journal of Education, Vol 81, 1949 The Duke of Edinburgh opened the new BRRA laboratory at Heald Green on 11 May 1955. It cost £500,000.The Times, 12 May 1955 British Pathé filmed footage of research, at BRRA, on the strength of fabrics. John Wilson was succeeded by Leonard Albert Wiseman in 1958.

Merger with Cotton Research Association

By at least 1955 it was apparent that there was potential for overlap in research with the work of the British Cotton Industry Research Association. In 1957 an official agreement was made to avoid duplication.The Times, 18 February 1957, page 15 Wilson retired from the BRRA in 1958, and

Len Wiseman Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work on the ''Underworld (film series), Underworld'' series (2003–2016), ''Live Free or Die Hard'' (2007), and the Total ...

became Director. Consensus emerged that a merger between the BCIRA and BRRA was needed. BRRA's life ended with its merger with the BCRA to form the Cotton, Silk, and Man-Made Fibres Research Association in 1961, better known as the Shirley Institute. Len Wiseman was appointed its Deputy Director.

Notable employees

* LRG Treloar, author of texts and papers on polymer science *

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

later Baron Porter of Luddenham, Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution, and Nobel Laureate, * John Wilson * Derek Saunders, later Pro-Vice Chancellor of Cranfield Institute of Technology * Robin Bullough * Arthur S. Lodge, rheologist, later at University of Wisconsin * Leonard Albert Wiseman

Publications and articles by the BRRA and staff

* Application of high-speed photography to textile problems, G. A. J. Orchard, R. A. Barker, British Rayon Research Association * The physics of rubber elasticity, L. R. G. Treloar Clarendon Press, 1958

References

{{authority control Textile industry of the United Kingdom Research institutes in the United Kingdom British research associations Organisations based in Stockport 1946 establishments in the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 1946