The mechanism of thermally induced elongation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber spun at 3500 m min(-1) has been examined. This partially oriented fiber has a crystalline content of about 25% and a high degree of orientation. The effect of time and tension during heat treatment was examined, and it was found that yarns that were allowed to relax during an initial brief heat treatment at 130 degrees C subsequently elongated by up to 5% during a long heat treatment at the same temperature. Yarns that were not allowed to relax during the brief heat treatment did not elongate on subsequent heating. The morphological and mechanical changes associated with these processes have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), birefringence measurement, microscopy, and tensile testing. A large increase in crystallinity was observed during the brief heat treatment, but a much smaller increase took place during the long heat treatment. XRD indicated that substantial crystal reorganization occurred during both heat treatments, but c-axis growth was most significant in those materials that elongated during long heat treatment. It is proposed that it is this c-axis growth, in conjunction with conversion of disordered amorphous material into oriented crystalline material, that is responsible for the observed elongation.