Many scientific challenges accompany or anticipate the development of composite structures in particular in the field of aeronautics. These include the prediction of damage under impact, crashworthiness, structural details under static and cyclic loadings. To date, the models developed by the scientific community are essentially limited to simple loadings and are validated on simply designed specimens. The special character of the composites is that the material does not exist prior to the structure. Thus, the scientific community agrees on the relevance of multi-scale or multi-levels approaches for a detailed description of the behavior. However, academic research has so far invested a lot in the lower scales (micro, meso or coupon) to identify and model the various modes of damage. VERTEX project proposes to develop a methodology for analysis and general validation that is positioned at the scale of composite structures. The samples sizes is of the order of tens of centimeters. The choice of this scale allows a unique positioning and can handle a wide range of fundamental problems. Moreover, the aim of VERTEX is to propose a method of analysis or experimental validation by static tests under complex loading like compression / tension / shear. The methodology will enable a dialogue test / calculation improved and extended, which is a necessary step towards to the Virtual Testing. This is a key issue that will enable considerable economic gains and reduced design loop of aircraft or other composite structure of next generation. Like astronomers or astrophysicists who need telescopes to validate or develop their science projects, the multi-level intrinsic to the nature of composites requires the development of complex test methods. The scientific project VERTEX is therefore the first step in developing an original method of measurement and control (WP2) on a specific test device (WP1). Indeed, for model validation or analysis of the phenomenology, it is necessary to perform measurements and complex loading paths either globally across the structure, either at a more local scale (for example crack tips). These phases of engineering and instrumentation are therefore a fundamental point of the study. To test the concept coupled test / instrumentation, three issues are proposed by the partners (WP3). The first concerns the large cuts under complex loading, the second is related to the calculation of the failures of technological specimen with multi-scale calculation approach and the third one is the validation of damage models by complex fracture path. These three issues will be subject to a validation phase by means of test VERTEX (WP4) . Synthetically, the VERTEX project aims to provide a coupled experimental/measure/calculation scientific methodology to identify the behavior of composite structure. This methodology will also be able to discriminate the relevance of different models of literature. Because of its universal character, this approach will enable the aeronautic industry and others to validate research or technology of composite structures at reasonable costs.