Forced Oscillations in a Two-Layer Fluid of Finite Depth

Abstract

An initial value investigation is made of the development of surface and internal wave motions generated by an oscillatory pressure distribution on the surface of a fluid that is composed of two layers of limited depths and of different densities. The displacement functions both on the free surface and on the interface are obtained with the help of generalized Fourier transformation. The method for the asymptotic evolution of the wave integrals is based on Bleistein’s method. The behavior of the solutions is examined for large values of time and distance. It is found that there are two classes of waves—the first corresponds to the usual surface waves with a changed amplitude and the second arises entirely due to stratification. Some interesting features of the wave system have also been studied.