Abstract: The finite element cutting model of 7075 aluminum alloy was established, and the change of cutting force in cutting process was simulated by DEFORM-3D software with the default fracture criterion, and verified by experiments. The cutting model was used to simulate the cutting forces with Freudenthal, Cockcroft-Latham, Normalized and Ayada fracture criteria, respectively, and the applicability of the different fracture criteria was analyzed. The results show that the relative error between the simulated average cutting force and the measured value with the default fracture criterion was below 10%, verifying the accuracy of the finite element cutting model. The relative error between the average cutting force simulated with Freudenthal fracture criterion and the measured value was relatively large, whereas the relative errors with Cockcroft-Latham, Normalized and Ayada fracture criteria were all within 9%. Ayada fracture criterion was the most suitable for simulating the cutting of 7075 aluminum alloy, followed by Cockcroft-Latham and Normalized fracture criteria.