Abstract Extreme contact conditions and high temperatures make it very difficult to assess the tribological performance of the tool-chip interface. In this study, a stick-slip friction formula based on activation functions is proposed. A thermomechanical dynamic coupling evolution model of friction stress at the tool-chip interface was established in Abaqus using VUMAT and VFRICTION to evaluate the friction behavior at the tool-chip interface under different cutting speed conditions during high-speed cutting of titanium alloys. The orthogonal cutting experiment was used to design simulation experiments and verify the accuracy of the proposed model. The simulation model predicted cutting force with a maximum error of 11.9% and a minimum error of 5.6%. Additionally, contact stress and the damage condition of the titanium alloy were analyzed to evaluate the tribological performance of the tool-chip interface.