Higher-order Boussinesq-type equations for interfacial waves in a two-fluid system

Interfacial waves propagating along the interface between a three-dimensional two-fluid system with a rigid upper boundary and an uneven bottom are considered. There is a light fluid layer overlying a heavier one in the system, and a small density difference exists between the two layers. A set of higher-order Boussinesq-type equations in terms of the depth-averaged velocities accounting for stronger nonlinearity are derived. When the small parameter measuring frequency dispersion keeping up to lower-order and full nonlinearity are considered, the equations include the Choi and Camassa's results (1999). The enhanced equations in terms of the depth-averaged velocities are obtained by applying the enhancement technique introduced by Madsen et al. (1991) and Schaffer and Madsen (1995a). It is noted that the equations derived from the present study include, as special cases, those obtained by Madsen and Schaffer (1998). By comparison with the dispersion relation of the linear Stokes waves, we found that the dispersion relation is more improved than Choi and Camassa's (1999) results, and the applicable scope of water depth is deeper.