Method of joining strands

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR JOINING PORTIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MULTIFILAMENT STRANDS WHICH COMPRISES JETTING A PLURALITY OF OPPOSING HIGH VELOCITY FLUID STREAMS WITH THE AXES OF THE STREAMS ALIGNED IN A COMMON PLANE; ARRANGING A PLURALITY OF FILAMENTARY STRANDS WITH PORTIONS IN AN OVERLAPPING, GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OPPOSED FLUID STREAMS, AND WITH THE STRANDS ALIGNED TO BE NORMALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID COMMON PLANE OF THE FLUID STREAMS; MOVING THE OVERLAPPED STRAND PORTIONS AND THE OPPOSED FLUID STREAMS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID COMMON PLANE OF THE FLUUID STREAMS TO APPLY SUCCESSIVE ENTANGLING FORCES AGAINST OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE OVERLAPPED STRANDS AND IN THE PLANE OF PASSAGE OF THE OVERLAPPED STRANDS THROUGH THE STREAMS; AND CONTINUING THE TREATMENT TO FORM A STRONG JOINT OF INTERENTANGLED FIBERS EXTENDING ACROSS THE OVERLAPPED STRAND PORTIONS.