Abstract: As the demands for high-speed train operating speed and traction power increase continuously, the traditional carbon strip supported by the pantographs needs to face many challenges, such as the intensified wear and tear due to the increasing operational speed, and the thermal surge on the contact surface caused by the increment of traction current. In order to improve the thermal characteristics, impact resistance and current-transmission stability of traditional pantograph head, we proposed a new type of rotatable pantograp, which obtains electric power for trains through rolling electrical contact between the pantograph roller and the contact wire. In order to verify its dynamic and static characteristics, a 'pantograph-catenary' dynamic electrical contact experimental platform was built, meanwhile, a 'coupling-based pantograph-catenary current-carrying thermal rise model based on multi-physical field' was launched. Via the comparison between the experimental and simulation results, the validation of the 'coupling-based pantograph-catenary current-carrying thermal rise model based on multi-physical field' was verified. Then, the dynamic characteristics of thermal rise was deeply explored during the electrical contacting process of pantograph-catenary system. Moreover, the rotatable pantograph head and the traditional one were compared in term of the characteristics of thermal variation with different traction currents and operational velocities. The results indicate that, during the dynamic current-receiving process of pantograph-catenary system, the thermal current-carrying performance of the rotatable pantograph head is dramatically better than the traditional one; along with the increasing operational velocity, the advantage of the rotatable pantograph head is expanded in terms of thermal rise, compared with the traditional pantograph head.