Abstract: Thin shotcrete layer is widely used in mine sealing engineering. Thin shotcrete layer with bearing capacity is a new method to replace metal mesh in underground coal mine roadway support. It has the advantages of fast tunneling speed, high degree of automation and wide application range. Firstly, based on the deformation process of TSL in soft rock roadway, the supporting theory of TSL is analyzed. It is considered that TSL has a chain effect with surface surrounding rock, and the bonding layer has a restraining effect on the deformation of deep rock mass. Under the condition of large deformation of surrounding rock, TSL thin shell structure is formed to produce supporting effect. Based on the actual production of large-scale coal pillar samples in coal mine roadways, an experimental study was carried out using a newly developed polymer TSL material, and the supporting effects of different surface protection methods were compared and analyzed. The results show that the constraint effect of TSL is stronger than that of diamond mesh, and the peak stress of the sample is increased by 28.3%. At the same time, the residual strength of TSL specimens is higher, and the energy dissipation of the system increases by 44.1%. In the large deformation stage of roadway, TSL and constrained rock mass form a thin shell structure. In this paper, the support effect of TSL shell structure in different rock mass is studied experimentally for the first time. The results show that the TSL shell structure reduces the deformation of the surface surrounding rock through its own bearing compressive stress. The bearing capacity of lignite and sandstone samples increases by 44.6% and 20.4%, respectively, and the energy dissipation increases by about 2 times. The numerical calculation method is used to analyze the coal pillar constraint effect of TSL and the bearing state and the control mechanism of surrounding rock deformation in the process of thin shell support experiment, and compared with the experimental observation. This study provides a theoretical basis for the practice of TSL support engineering and an experimental research method for the prediction of TSL support effect in coal mine roadway.