A review on artificial intelligence-aided design of surface textures

Artificial intelligence (AI) has received significant attention in the design of surface textures because of its excellent ability to analyze large amounts of data and thus reveal patterns between complex phenomena. This paper reviews the main classifications of AI-aided surface texture design, including data-driven, model-driven, and data and model hybrid approaches. Data-driven approaches leverage large-scale datasets to extract effective design features via machine learning (ML) algorithms. These features are then utilized to optimize surface textures, ensuring that they meet specific functional requirements. The model-driven approach is based on physical models and combines AI technology to perform parameter optimization and simulation to ensure the physical rationality of the design. By combining the advantages of data-driven and model-driven approaches, the data and model hybrid approach achieves a more efficient and accurate design process. In addition, the design of AI-aided surface textures for tribology, fluid dynamics, drag reduction, and biomedical applications is presented. Finally, a perspective on the current challenges as well as future research directions is presented.