We have created a surrogate dataset of polyomino structures for various load conditions. A Polyomino is a geometric tiling configuration, a combination of neighboring squares that always share at lest one edge, which for mechanical design applications ensures a physically realizable manifold.
We explore various viable polyomino structures by dividing a square grid successively (also known as quadtree division) to a desired resolution, e.g., 16×16. Then we run an FEA simulation for various loads, and for any given load find the trade space as shown below. The quadtree division maps to a tree data structure that allows us to search similar or different structures (based on how far or close they are on the tree), for the same or different loads, leading to the possibility of designing programmable mechanical metamaterials.
