For the dynamic inelastic response of structures subjected to impact, most work is concerned with the global response while little information is available about stresses and strains. Further to the work by Zhu and Faulkner (1)†about global response of a rectangular plate struck by a wedge based on an elastoplastic numerical program (2), detailed stress and strain time histories and distributions are presented, both from numerical calculation and from experimental measurement, which provides valuable information for the failure analysis of plates under impact. The correlation between theory and experiment is made and the importance of partnership between experimental and numerical studies is highlighted.