Hot deformation behavior of the Cu–Cr–Zr–Nd alloy was studied by hot compressive tests in the temperature range of 650–950 °C and the strain rate range of 0.001–10 s−1 using Gleeble-1500D thermo-mechanical simulator. The results showed that the flow stress is strongly dependent on the deformation temperature and the strain rate. With the increase of temperature or the decrease of strain rate, the flow stress significantly decreases. Hot activation energy of the alloy is about 404.84 kJ/mol and the constitutive equation of the alloy based on the hyperbolic-sine equation was established. Based on the dynamic material model, the processing map was established to optimize the deformation parameters. The optimal processing parameters for the Cu–Cr–Zr–Nd alloy hot working are in the temperature range of 900–950 °C and strain rate range of 0.1–1 s−1. A full dynamic recrystallization structure with fine and homogeneous grain size can be obtained at optimal processing conditions. The microstructure of specimens deformed at different conditions was analyzed and connected with the processing map. The surface fracture was observed to identify instability conditions.

The effect of quenching rate combined with pre-tempering treatments on the mechanical properties of H13 steel was systematically investigated in this study. Tensile testing, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) were employed to study the structure–property relationships associated with different heat treatment conditions. The results showed that the specimen subjected to pre-tempering at 680 °C exhibited optimal strength performance, and fractographic analysis revealed that the specimen exhibited characteristic ductile fracture features. Further analysis revealed that increasing the quenching cooling rate effectively refined the grain size of the matrix, thereby significantly enhancing the strength of the sample. Tensile tests demonstrated optimal comprehensive mechanical performance with a yield strength of ~1050.4 MPa and elongation after fracture of ~17.1% for the oil-quenched specimen subjected to 680 °C pre-tempering treatment. The findings provide valuable experimental evidence and theoretical guidance for optimizing the heat treatment process of H13 steel and improving its failure resistance.