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A new approach to study the steady-state and transient performances of an axial-flux eddy current coupler is presented in this paper. To simplify the analysis, the 3-D model of the eddy current coupler is reduced to a 3-D linear model using the mean radius assumption. The equivalent circuit model of the eddy current coupler is employed, and the flux linkage equation, voltage equation, and torque equation are developed. In the 3-D Cartesian coordinates, the equivalent circuit parameters are calculated, and the steady-state and transient torque formulas are obtained by solving the flux linkage equation and voltage equation in steady-state and transient condition respectively, and then, the torque formulas are used to study the performances of the eddy current coupler. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed performance analysis method, the steady-state and transient performances of an axial-flux eddy current coupler prototype are investigated, and the analytical calculation results are compared with the 3-D finite element method simulations and experimental tests.