A Real-Time Quantitative Analysis of Atmospheric Contributions of Hydrogen to Weld Arc Plasmas

Hydrogen contamination of weldments, particularly in the welded joints of high strength steels, can cause significant reductions in weld integrity, often resulting in failure of the joint. Inspection and repair of hydrogen assisted cracks in weldments is both costly and time consuming, thus real-time methods of detecting hydrogen levels during welding are essential. Analytical emission spectroscopy is a promising method of weld analysis, providing quantitative information in real time about the amount of hydrogen in the arc atmosphere