Iron-based alloys and articles in strips, sheets, workpieces and the like are converted into high strength steel with a minimum of cost, time and effort, including producing dual phase materials. This is achievable by extremely rapid micro-treating of low, medium, and high carbon iron-based alloys and articles by rapid heating and rapid cooling at least a portion of the alloy/article. This heating step involves nearly immediately heating the iron-based alloy to a selected temperature above its austenite conversion temperature. Then, the alloy is immediately quenched, also at an extremely fast rate, on at least a portion of the iron-based alloy in a quenching unit adjacent the heating unit. This procedure forms high strength alloy in a desired area, depending upon where the treatment was performed.

A manufacturing process of a hot stamped coated part comprising the following successive steps, in this order: providing a hot rolled or cold rolled steel sheet comprising a steel substrate and an aluminium-silicon alloy precoating, the precoating containing more than 50% of free aluminium and having a thickness comprised between 15 and 50 micrometers, then cutting the steel sheet to obtain a precoated steel blank, then heating the blank under non protective atmosphere up to a temperature T.sub.i comprised between T.sub.e10 C. and T.sub.e, Te being the eutectic or solidus temperature of the precoating, then heating the blank from the temperature T.sub.i up to a temperature T.sub.m comprised between 840 and 950 C. under non protective atmosphere with a heating rate V comprised between 30 C./s and 90 C./s, V being the heating rate between the temperature T.sub.i and the temperature T.sub.m, in order to obtain a coated heated blank, then soaking the coated heated blank at said temperature T.sub.m for a time t.sub.m comprised between 20 s and 90 s, then hot stamping the blank in order to obtain a hot stamped coated part, then cooling said stamped part at a cooling rate in order to form a microstructure in the steel substrate comprising at least one constituent chosen among martensite or bainite.

A high hardness sleeve or surface treatment to a predetermined hardness is used in a packing bore for a fluid end of a pump assembly. The bore is either treated to provide the hardness or a sleeve is used which is fitted in an oversized bore for preventing washout failure. The sleeve is welded into the pump block and machined to the proper size bore. Thereafter the bore is protected from washout failure at this location. Alternatively, a surface of the sleeve is polished which further reduces the wear on the part. The sleeve can be a stainless steel material hardened by heat treating process or otherwise treated or carbon steel sleeves with the predetermined bore hardness which could be welded into a suitable bore in the pump. However, other processes for hardening the stainless steel can be used as long as desired predetermined surface hardness is maintainable.

A high hardness sleeve or surface treatment to a predetermined hardness is used in a packing bore for a fluid end of a pump assembly. The bore is either treated to provide the hardness or a sleeve is used which is fitted in an oversized bore for preventing washout failure. The sleeve is welded into the pump block and machined to the proper size bore. Thereafter the bore is protected from washout failure at this location. Alternatively, a surface of the sleeve is polished which further reduces the wear on the part. The sleeve can be a stainless steel material hardened by heat treating process or otherwise treated or carbon steel sleeves with the predetermined bore hardness which could be welded into a suitable bore in the pump. However, other processes for hardening the stainless steel can be used as long as desired predetermined surface hardness is maintainable.