Trailingedge

Trailing edge refers to the rear boundary of a wing, blade, or similar airfoil. It is the line where the upper and lower surfaces converge in the aft direction, marking the end of the airfoil's chord. In aerodynamics, the trailing edge is critical because flow leaves the surface there and forms the wake and vortices that influence overall lift, drag, and pitching moment. The Kutta condition requires that the flow leave smoothly at the trailing edge for finite circulation, shaping the lift produced by the airfoil. The geometry of the trailing edge, including thickness and sharpness, affects boundary-layer evolution and flow separation near the rear of the airfoil.

Trailing-edge devices such as flaps, ailerons, and elevators are movable portions at the trailing edge used to increase lift, modify camber, and provide control at various flight regimes. Slotted and Fowler-type trailing-edge flaps extend the effective wing area to improve takeoff and landing performance.

In noise and flow-control research, serrated trailing edges and other trailing-edge modifications are studied to disrupt coherent vortex shedding and reduce aeroacoustic noise from wings, blades, and fans. In electronics, the term trailing edge also describes the falling edge of a pulse or clock signal, opposite the leading edge, and is used in edge-triggered circuits.

Measurement and analysis rely on wind-tunnel testing, wake visualization, and computational fluid dynamics to quantify trailing-edge effects on lift, drag, and acoustics.