Abstract <p>A fundamentally new method is proposed for assessing the plastic response of a material to dynamic loading during tests of cylindrical specimens impacted against a rigid barrier. Unlike the traditional Taylor test, this study considers a temporal yield criterion based on the concept of incubation time. This approach allows for a transition from averaged rate-based estimates to a more accurate and physically grounded description of material behavior over time. Impact tests of cylindrical specimens against a rigid anvil were conducted to determine the yield strength exhibited by the material at various impact velocities. The material behavior under high rate elastoplastic deformation was investigated. The impact-on-anvil test incorporates new dynamic characteristics of the material, which define the rate sensitivity of the yield strength based on the incubation time criterion. The test results are interpreted as a time-dependent yield strength, i.e., the threshold amplitude of the impact load as a function of its duration. It is shown how the parameters that enable prediction of the rate and temporal dependence of the yield strength under arbitrary impact-wave loading can be estimated from a single test.</p>