Keyhole and cover pass variable polarity plasma arc welds were made on aluminium alloy 2195 with measured contamination levels of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. Contamination levels ranged from less than 10 to 500 ppm in both the argon plasma gas and the helium shield gas. It was found that nitrogen leads to more severe porosity than either hydrogen or oxygen, and that rear shielding is required for keyhole welding of Al–Li 2195 alloy to protect the weld from nitrogen in the atmosphere. Both nitrogen and oxygen contamination produced a dark surface on the weld bead, which comprised metallic aluminium particles, nucleated in the melt, that had aggregated at the surface of the weld pool.
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