GUIDED AND UNGUIDED INTERFACIAL SOLITARY WAVES

This paper deals with progressing solitary waves at the interface of t wo superimposed fluids of different densities. In the case of a two-fl uid system bounded above and below by rigid walls, we refer to the wav e as guided. If the top wall is absent, that is, the top fluid has its free surface exposed to air, the wave is unguided. The problem is for mulated by using a generalized Schwartz-Christoffel transformation tec hnique which results in a system of nonlinear integro-differential equ ations for the interfacial angle theta(i), free surface angle theta(s) , and a connection equation for the jump in the potential across the i nterface. Numerical solutions for the system are presented for a range of Froude numbers showing the effect of density and depth ratios.