Substance-Field (SuF) analysis is a TRIZ analytical tool and a graphical-semantic language for modeling problems and describing technical systems. A system operating properly can be modeled by a triangle representing the substances and fields (energy) of which it is comprised. S-F modeling helps identify a class of problems for which Standard Solutions are applicable.

Like physics or chemistry, TRIZ has a symbolic language (see below) based on the simplest organization of a technical object. Each such object contains at least one substance S (with any degree of complexity) and interacts with at least one carrier C of F (a field, such as gravitational or magnetic, a flow, such as heat or electric current, or a "signal", such as sound or light, ). 

SuF (overall view) is drafted as TRIANGLE

--------- Action or interaction (overall view without details)

------------> Action

<---------------> Mutual interaction

Action or interaction that should be introduced according to the problem 's specification

Unsatisfactory action or interaction that should be replaced according to the problem 's specification

F----> Input field or Acted field /carrier

------> F Outlet field well-responding to an action

F' and S' Input field's state and input substance's state

F" and S" Outlet field's state (the nature of the field does not change, but parameters are varied) and outlet substance's state

S' - S" Alteration substance that exists either in S' or S" states

^~ F Alteration field

===> Transition from the initial to the final system

The transition of an object from an initial to a final state can be described as a list of changes in the substance-carrier structure of the object.

In a formulae the substances should be written on a line, and the carriers/fields should be written above or below this line. Because of my WWW editor I do not follow this rule.

Mechanical objects usually have two substances (articles or tools) and one carrier :

and measurement systems usually have two carriers (input and output) and one substance:

TRIZ provides several rules for improvement of the organization of the substance-carrier structure when the object has some contradiction. The simplest ones are:

• The working object should have at least 3 elements: three S, two S and one C, or two C and one S;
• If an interaction is required between C and S1 (presently non-interacting), a mediator substance S2 should be introduced which preferably is a modification of S1.

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