The influence of the resonator shape on nonlinear acoustic field in a thermoacous- tic engine is studied. The resonator of themoacoustic engine is boundary driving by a piston at one end, and the other end of it is rigid closed. A one-dimensional wave equation that accounts for gas dynamic nonlinearities and viscous dissipation in the resonator is established based on the governing equations of viscous hydromechanics. The nonlinear wave equation is solved using approximate Galerkin method. The nonlinear acoustic field in four different types of shaped resonators including hyperbolical, exponential, conical and sinusoidal are obtained and compared with that of a cylindrical resonator. It is found that the amplitude and wave- form of the pressure are strongly affected by the resonator shape, the driving amplitude and the oscillation frequency of the piston. Waveform distortion, resonance frequency shift and hysteresis are observed, when the piston oscillation amplitude is large enough. The advantages of shaped resonator for thermoacoustic engine lie in inhibition of higher order harmonics and improvement of pressure ratio, etc.
