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Two independent optical methods are used to analyze the dynamic material behavior of Mylar and Homalite-100 subjected to hypervelocity impact. Birefringent targets are loaded in tension inside a two-stage light-gas gun vacuum chamber, and are impacted with a 5 mg nylon slug at velocities between 3 and 6 km/s. Caustics and photoelasticity combined with high-speed photography are used to determine dynamic stress intensity behavior around the crack tip during and after impact. Homalite-100 lower crack tip speeds are subjected to reflecting boundary shear waves from the nylon impact, and thereby the crack path exhibits distinct kinks; whereas Mylar higher crack tip speeds provides distinguishable isochromatic patterns and an unadulterated fracture surface. Shear wave patterns in the target from photoelastic effects are compared to results from numerical simulations using the Overture Suite, which solves linear elasticity equations on overlapping curvilinear grids by means of adaptive mesh refinement.