Sheet discharging device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming section for forming an image on a sheet surface;
• and
• a sheet discharging device that comprises:
• a discharge roller that discharges a transported sheet to outside the sheet discharging device, the discharge roller having a flexible rotating shaft;
• first and second bearing members that rotatably hold one end side and another end side of the flexible rotating shaft, respectively;
• a nipping member that nips the transported sheet in cooperation with the discharge roller, the nipping member being opposed to a peripheral surface of the discharge roller;
• an abutment member abutting against the flexible rotating shaft between the first bearing member and the second bearing member to apply a force to curve the flexible rotating shaft, wherein:
• the flexible rotating shaft is a drive rotating shaft to which a drive force of a motor is transmitted and which rotates based on the drive force, the flexible rotating shaft being curved by the force applied by the abutment member,
• the nipping member is a driven roller that rotates in accordance with a rotation of the discharge roller,
• the discharge roller comprises a plurality of discharge rollers which are provided on the flexible rotating shaft along an axis direction of the flexible rotating shaft,
• the abutment member comes in contact with the flexible rotating shaft in an area formed between the plurality of discharge rollers,
• the abutment member comprises an urging member that urges the flexible rotating shaft in a substantially vertical direction, and
• the urging member comprises a plurality of urging members provided at intervals along a direction of the flexible rotating shaft, and the plurality of urging members have mutually different urging forces.