Abstract
This paper, in a first part, presents the characteristics of a new experimental set-up using digital image correlation (DIC) and infrared thermography (IRT). In a second part, the kinematical data, obtained by DIC, are used to track the material surface element temperature variations deduced from thermal images. They are then combined to construct the local energy balance. To illustrate the interest of such an approach, the paper then describes the calorimetric effects accompanying the propagation of necking in a plasticised PolyAmide 11. A thermodynamic analysis of cyclic loading finally aims to show the existence of an entropic elastic effect generally associated with rubber-like materials.