Abstract
A typical list of conceptual design tools in engineering consists of the following approaches: TRIZ, axiomatic design (AD), design for X, Robust Design and some others. The present paper focuses on two popular methods that include a rich theoretical background, i.e. TRIZ and AD, which are selected for a pilot experiment. They are normally treated as separate design techniques in the literature that recommends their integration only. To which extent can AD approach be seen as a particular case of the whole TRIZ body of knowledge and vice versa? The research question is to define the relationships between these methods, whether they overlap, which one is more general or specific and could be derived from another one. We provide comparative review on these methods to define their inputs, outputs and the rigidity of technique. Then, we discuss a set of classical AD-driven idea generation examples and approach them with the help of TRIZ. We discuss how AD axioms can be interpreted by TRIZ principles. We conclude that AD solutions can be viewed as particular cases of the whole body of TRIZ tools to support inventive design, but AD way of thinking results helpful to accelerate the design process. The results can be used to improve the design roadmap, to approach the general TRIZ-based concept design theory and a better logic of teaching. In addition, the paper proposes this kind of investigation for expanding this study, so to include different perspectives, other case studies and additional methodologies.