  We simulate the propagation of a planar crack in a quasi-two dimensional fuse
model, confining the crack between two horizontal plates. We investigate the
effect on the roughness of microcrack nucleation ahead of the main crack and
study the structure of the damage zone. The two dimensional geometry introduces
a characteristic length in the problem, limiting the crack roughness. The
damage ahead of the crack does not appear to change the scaling properties of
the model, which are well described by gradient percolation.
