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The influences of argon and oxygen in helium base shielded GTA welding on the arc ignitability, bead protection and weld penetration are systematically investigated by bead-on-plate welding on SUS304 stainless steel. Experimental results show that the critical electrode tip work distance for arc ignition is increased from I mm under pure He shielding to 5 mm under He-50%Ar shielding. Small addition of oxygen content to the He-Ar mixed shielding can significantly change the weld shape from a wide shallow type to a narrow deep one, and the weld depth/width ratio can be doubled due to the change in the Marangoni convection from an outward to an inward direction. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.