The premature failure or early deterioration of mine haul roads due to increasing problems of overrutting, potholes, and excessive settlement is a major issue. These problems mainly arise from the mismatch of overburden soil strength and stresses exerted by moving dumpers, inadequate compaction of soil, and improper assessment of the load-deformation characteristics of overburden soil under repeated loading. In the past, several research studies have been conducted; however, most of the studies are related to the geotechnical characterization and stabilization of mine overburden soil. In this study, the deformation characteristics, i.e., plastic and resilient deformations, of an overburden soil extracted during mining operations have been addressed, taking into account the influence of varying compaction densities, cyclic deviatoric stress, and loading frequencies. Compaction density notably affects soil strength, with 5.82% and 16.4% increases in density resulting in 23%-48% and 297%-410% strength gains, respectively. Meanwhile, cyclic deviatoric stress and confining pressure primarily influenced the axial strain behavior of mine overburden soil subjected to cyclic loading. At higher compaction densities, higher resilient modulus values were obtained. For a confining pressure of 48 kPa, increases of 5.82% and 16.4% in compaction density resulted in an increase in the resilient modulus by 32.6%-48.9%, 36.5%-67.6%, and 73%-201.3%, for increasing levels of cyclic deviatoric stress. The plastic deformations obtained were also notably high. Thus, mine overburden soils with high resilient modulus values can still experience premature failure, owing to the significant accumulation of plastic strain under high repeated deviatoric stresses. From the analysis of test results, three-parameter strain models have also been developed as a function of the number of load repetitions and the applied cyclic deviatoric stress to predict the rutting phenomenon in overburden soil at different compaction densities, applied cyclic deviatoric loads, and loading frequencies.

Mine haul roads are the unpaved roads that are constructed from the overburden materials obtained from the mining operations and are used for the movement of heavily loaded dumpers and trucks. The haul roads constructed from this overburden material shows continuous distress in the form of over ruts, potholes, and shear failures, creating major issues in the movement of dumpers. In the present research study, an experimental investigation was conducted based on mechanistic empirical design to evaluate the strength-deformation characteristics, durability, and environmental emissions of cement stabilized overburden soil of a local mine. The unconfined compression tests were conducted at cement dosages varying from 1 to 6% of dry soil mass and increase in the unconfined compressive strength were examined at different intervals of time until 28 days of the curing period. In the case of static triaxial tests, the enhancement in undrained shear strength and elastic modulus of stabilized specimens was determined in comparison to the untreated specimens, whereas in cyclic triaxial tests, the reduction in permanent deformations and increase in resilient modulus were evaluated under different confining pressures and cyclic deviatoric stresses. An empirical model has been proposed to predict the long-term rutting of overburden under repeated loading. The proposed model is based on the behaviour of various parameters, such as applied cyclic deviatoric stress, number of load repetitions, loading frequencies, and on the permanent deformation characteristic of mine overburden soil. In addition, durability and environmental sustainability aspects of the treatment has also been studied to determine the optimal dose of cement.