Abstract A 2D, linearized approach is used to investigate second-order effects of unsteadiness on the time-mean efficiency of turbomachinery. The objective is to quantify unsteady losses with a nonzero time-mean and to examine numerical simulations with respect to the modeling of unsteady flow fields and loss mechanisms. Results of simulations constitute the input to the analytical models employed. Two unsteady loss mechanisms, one of inviscid and the other of viscous nature, are considered. The unsteady circulation losses, i.e., the transfer of kinetic energy into the unsteady part of the flow field through vorticity shed at the trailing edge of a blade, was first considered b