AbstractThis study deals with the rheological aspects of poly‐vinyl chloride (PVC) plastisol gelation and fusion processes in foamable formulations. Here, such processes are simulated by temperature‐programmed experiment (5 K min−1) in which complex viscosity components are continuously recorded. Nineteen samples based on a PVC‐VAC (vinyl acetate 95/5) copolymer with 100 phr plasticizer have been studied, differing only by the plasticizer structure. The sample shear modulus increases continuously with temperature until a maximum, long time after the end of the dissolution process as characterized by DSC. The temperature at the maximum varies between 345 and 428 K with a clear tendency to increase almost linearly with the plasticizer molar mass, and to vary with the flexibility and the degree of branching of the plasticizer molecule. The shear modulus increase is interpreted in terms of progressive “welding” of swelled particles by polymer chain reptation. The plasticizer nature would mainly affect the friction parameter of chain diffusion. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013