A new visco-elastic contact model of traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUSM) is proposed. In this model, the rotor is assumed to be rigid body and the friction material on stator teeth surface to be visco-elastic body. Both load characteristics of TWUSM, such as rotation speed, torque and efficiency, and effects of interface parameters between stator and rotor on output characteristic of TWUSM can be calculated and simulated numerically by using MATLAB method based on this model. This model is compared with that one of compliant slider and rigid stator. The results show that this model can obtain bigger stall torque. The simulated results are compared with test results, and found that their load characteristics have good agreement.