The small strain ( below yielding) tensile loading-unloading tests were carried out on the low-density polyethylene ( LDPE) and polypropylene ( PP) at low strain rate and room temperature. The experiments unambiguously indicate to a remarkable decrease in residual strains in comparison with those predicted by conventional viscoelastic models. These deviations cannot be explained without taking into account structural transformations of semi-crystalline polymers. As long as small deformations cannot result in significant change in content and texture of crystalline and amorphous components, it was assumed that such transformations should include disintegration of connectivity in crystallite clusters. This structural rearrangement is supposed to be caused by the strain-induced decrystallization of narrow (and thus highly stressed) "bridges" connecting domains of conjugated crystallites or inside crystallites. A simple 1D modelling of the deformation processes supports this expectation. The disconnection in polymer morphology is simulated by small portions of amorphous ligaments appearing between neighbouring crystallites in the course of deformation. In spite of simplicity of the model a precise fitting of the stress-strain diagram is obtained along with small variations in structural and material characteristics ( crystallinity degree, effective rigidity and plastic ability) of the concerned polymers. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.