A permanent magnet floats stably above a high T-c superconductor due t
o levitation and transverse forces. These transverse interactions betw
een an YBaCuO pellet and a permanent magnet structure are experimental
ly studied in this paper. The different factors playing a part in the
transverse forces are investigated. Several permanent magnet structure
s have been chosen and experiments performed to compare these structur
es in terms of maximal force and stiffness. The influence of magnetic
field during cooling of the superconducting sample has been studied. A
static torque coup ling has been built and tested. Six magnet-superco
nductor sets are involved to develop a torque up to 3.3 N m. Good dyna
mic behaviour with strong damping is obtained.