engineering

Trailing edge

Trailing edge is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Trailing edge rather than just read about it. In short: The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets. Essential flight control surfaces are attached here to control the direction of the departing air flow, and exert a controlling force on the aircraft.

Key takeaways

Trailing edge belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Trailing edge to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Trailing edge from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets. Essential flight control surfaces are attached here to control the direction of the departing air flow, and exert a controlling force on the aircraft. Such control surfaces include ailerons on the wings for roll control, elevators on the tailplane controlling pitch, and the rudder on the fin controlling yaw. Elevators and ailerons may be combined as elevons on tailless aircraft. The shape of the trailing edge is of prime importance in the aerodynamic function of any aerodynamic surface. A sharp trailing edge is always employed in an airfoil. George Batchelor has written about:

“ ... the remarkable controlling influence exerted by the sharp trailing edge of an aerofoil on the circulation.”

Extensions Other sharp-edged surfaces that are attached to the trailing edges of wings or control surfaces include:

On control surfaces: trim tabs servo tabs anti-servo tabs Other surfaces: flaps Other equipment that may be attached to the trailing edges of wings include:

anti-shock bodies static wicks

Trailing edge shape The trailing edge is where the upper and lower surfaces of a wing meet. The angle between the upper and lower surfaces at the trailing edge is called the trailing edge angle. If the trailing edge angle is zero it is described as a cusped trailing edge. In two-dimensional flow around a uniform wing of infinite span, the slope of the lift curve is determined primarily by the trailing edge angle. The slope is greatest if the angle is zero; and decreases as the angle increases. For a wing of finite span, the aspect ratio of the wing also significantly influences the slope of the curve. As aspect ratio decreases, the slope also decreases.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Trailing edge

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Trailing edge claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Trailing edge before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Trailing edge ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Trailing edge

In research: Trailing edge appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Trailing edge in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Trailing edge is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aircraft aerodynamics, Aircraft wing design, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Trailing edge outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Trailing edge in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Trailing edge means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Trailing edge out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Trailing edge in simple terms?

Why does Trailing edge matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Trailing edge?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Trailing edge.