The arc in carbon dioxide is very forceful. Because of this, the wire tip can be driven below the surface of the molten weld pool. With the shorter arcs, the drop size is small, and any spatter produced as the result of short circuits is trapped in the cavity produced by the arc—hence the name buried-arc transfer. The resultant welds tend to be more highly crowned than those produced with open arcs, but they are relatively free of spatter and offer a decided advantage of welding speed.
These characteristics make the buried-arc process useful for high-speed mechanized welding of thin sections, such as that found in compressor domes for hermetic air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment or for automotive components.