Abstract
The investigation reported here show that when a blunt body strikes a plate of brittle material such as glass the effects produced by such an impact body of simple design can be determined by calculation up to the point of fracture if the shape and time dependent factors if the shape- and time- dependent factors of the occurring deformation are taken into account. The results are of importance for the internal safety of motor vehicles as they give information on the actions occurring during an impact on a windscreen.