Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same
A fixing device includes a rotatable pressing roller, a fixing rotator to rotate in contact with the pressing roller, a nip formation pad, and a slide sheet disposed between the nip formation pad and the fixing rotator. The slide sheet includes a base material layer made of a woven fabric of spun yarn. In the base material layer, a distance between adjacent spun yarns is equal to or less than 0.4 times a width of the spun yarn in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a direction of slide movement of the fixing rotator, and, in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a longitudinal direction of the slide sheet and a direction perpendicular to the slide movement of the fixing rotator, a thickness of the spun yarn is equal to or greater than 0.2 times a width of the spun yarn.
1. A fixing device comprising:
a rotatable pressing roller;
a fixing rotator to rotate in contact with the pressing roller;
a nip formation pad disposed inside the fixing rotator to form a nip with pressure from the pressing roller to fix an image on a recording medium; and
a slide sheet disposed between the nip formation pad and the fixing rotator, the slide sheet including:
a base material layer made of a woven fabric of spun yarn,
wherein a distance between adjacent spun yarns of the base material layer is equal to or less than 0.4 times a width of the spun yarn in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a direction of slide movement of the fixing rotator, and,
in a cross-section of the slide sheet in a longitudinal direction of the slide sheet and a direction perpendicular to the slide movement of the fixing rotator, a thickness of the spun yarn is equal to or greater than 0.2 times a width of the spun yarn.
2. The fixing device of claim 1 , wherein the spun yarn is made of glass fiber.
3. The fixing device of claim 1 , wherein the spun yarn is made of at least one of resin fiber and metal fiber.
4. The fixing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a surface layer made of a material different from a material of the base material layer,
wherein the surface layer is provided on the base material layer as a slide surface of the slide sheet on which the fixing rotator slides.
5. The fixing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the base material layer of the slide sheet is impregnated with resin.
6. The fixing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the spun yarn is a single fiber.
7. The fixing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the spun yarn includes a plurality of fibers.
8. An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 1 .