High strength reinforced concrete drilling shaft linings have been adopted to solve the difficult problem of supporting coal drilling shafts penetrating through thick top soils. Through model experiments the stress and strength of such shaft linings are studied. The test results indicate that the load bearing capacity of the shaft lining is very high and that the main factors affecting the load bearing capacity are the concrete strength, the ratio of lining thickness to inner radius and the reinforcement ratio. Based on the limit equilibrium conditions and the strength theory of concrete under multi-axial compressive stressed state, a formula for calculating the load-bearing capacity of a high strength reinforced concrete shaft lining was obtained. Because the concrete in a shaft lining is in a multi-axial compressive stress state the compressive strength increases to a great extent compared to uni-axial loading. Based on experiment a formula for the gain factor in compressive strength was obtained: it can be used in the structural design of the shaft lining. These results have provided a basis for sound engineering practice when designing this kind of shaft lining structure.