The problem of the failure of a dam in two-layer shallow water (linear approximation)

The flows that occur in the solution, in the linear approximation, of the problem of the failure of a dam for the model of two-layer shallow water with a free boundary are analysed qualitatively. It is shown that, apart from symmetry, four basic processes and four transients exist. They are distinguished by the type of jumps in the levels on the lines of discontinuity and by the direction of the velocities in the liquid layers. Examples of the profiles of all these flows are presented.