Résumé : This paper is concerned with the effect of thermal pre-treatments (below the glass transition) on the yield stress and on the enthalpy change of polycarbonate. A treatment is proposed which accounts quantitatively for experimental results. It relies both on free volume and activation concepts and makes use of classical equations and simple assumptions, chiefly that the same free energy is associated with the molecular motions giving rise to deformation at yield and densification during annealing. © 1982.