The rubbing of the labyrinth sealing structure is a common problem during the operation of aeroengine air system. Due to the difficulty in observing the process of crack initiation and propagation on the sealing ring during actual rubbing, using finite element method for numerical simulation can provide a deeper understanding of the process and mechanism of crack initiation and propagation. This study established a sealing ring model with wear grooves after rubbing. The surface convective heat transfer coefficient, rubbing force and rubbing temperature of the sealing ring were considered. XFEM was used to numerically study the temperature field, stress field, and crack initiation and propagation of the sealing ring. The crack numerical simulation result was compared with the result of rubbing experiment. The results showed that the crack initiation and propagation direction obtained from numerical simulation were basically consistent with those obtained from rubbing experiment. The mechanism of crack initiation has been revealed, and it has been proven that this method can effectively simulate the process of crack initiation and propagation caused by rubbing.