Kutta condition

Summary

The Kutta condition selects the circulation of a two-dimensional potential flow past a body with a sharp trailing edge, such as an airfoil. Potential flow past such a body is not unique: there is one flow for each value of the circulation. The Kutta condition picks the one flow in which the fluid leaves the trailing edge smoothly, with finite velocity. Together with the Kutta–Joukowski theorem it predicts the lift of an airfoil.