Abstract
Welding is employed to develop bonded joints with mechanical properties that draw near the parent material. Vibration welding has been applied to join pure and nanoclay filled linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). Ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer (PE‐g‐MA) is used as a compatibiliser in this study. High resolution transmission electron microscopic images showed the combination of exfoliation and intercalation of nanoclay platelets in LLDPE in the presence of a compatibiliser. The mechanical properties were studied for both the body part and the welded joints. The tensile strength and modulus of the body part for the nanoclay filled LLDPE in the presence of a compatibiliser were substantially improved. The welded joints of the same system showed better enhancement in the modulus. X‐ray diffraction analysis observed from the welded joints showed that the crystallite size of the nanoclay filled LLDPE composites in the presence of a compatibiliser was lower than that of nanocomposites in the absence of a compatibiliser.