An experimental study is undertaken to evaluate the characteristics of the sensitive Champlain Sea clay. Undisturbed samples obtained from a site in Ottawa were trimmed along both the vertical and horizontal orientations for consolidation and simple shear tests. The results of the one-dimensional consolidation tests indicate that the vertical orientation has greater preconsolidation pressures than the horizontal orientation. The ratio of the horizontal to vertical preconsolidation pressure varies from 0.71 to 0.95. Consolidation along the horizontal orientation leads to higher (1% to 23%)
compression indices than those in the vertical orientation. The values of the coefficients of consolidation and permeability in the horizontal orientation are found to be larger than those in the vertical orientation, and the ratios of both coefficients of consolidation and permeability in the horizontal orientation to that in the vertical orientation evolve as the effective vertical stress increases.