FIXING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device capable of preventing the occurrence of change over time of a stationary pressure member, and fixing defects and conveyance failure of a recording material associated with the change.SOLUTION: A fixing device 18 passes a recording material having a toner image transferred thereto through a nip between a fixing roller 21 and a pressure member 22 to fix the toner image to the recording material. The pressure member 22 is constituted of a surface layer member 24 that is brought into contact with the fixing roller 21, a pressure member 25 that presses the surface layer member 24 against the fixing roller 21, and a support member 26 that supports the pressure member 25. The pressure member 25 has a foaming rate at an upstream part 25A in a direction of rotation of the fixing roller lower than a foaming rate at a downstream part 25B so that the pressure member 25 is provided with a restoration force to restore deformation of the pressure member 25 to the original shape, the deformation to the downstream side in the direction of rotation of the fixing roller occurring when the fixing roller 21 is rotated.