mechanical explosive

A mechanical explosive is a substance or device that produces rapidly expanding gas through a physical reaction, such as overloading a container with compressed air. While it has limited use in mining where chemical explosives might be undesirable, it is otherwise not widely employed. Chemical explosives, which are the most common type, are substances that undergo extremely rapid decomposition, releasing a large volume of gas. These are further categorized into detonating (high) explosives like TNT and dynamite, and deflagrating (low) explosives such as gunpowder. Detonating explosives are characterized by very fast decomposition and high pressure development, while deflagrating explosives burn rapidly, producing lower pressures.12