It is essentially important to study deformation properties of an elastic blanket in offset printing in order to develop a more superior printing machine. This paper analyzes elastic deformations of the blanket due to rolling contact of the blanket cylinder with impression (or plate) cylinder, considering anisotropic properties and laminated construction of the blanket. Relations between contact stresses and deformations of the blanket are solved by using the two dimensional elastic theory. The numerical solution of the problem, which has considered rolling behavior of two cylinders and partial slip in contact region, is obtained by using an iteration procedure. Influences of a difference in nominal peripheral speeds between two cylinders in contact, the Young's moduli and thickness of each layer of the blanket, and the coefficient of friction in contact region on contact stresses and deformations of the blanket, are examined by the theory in detail. Experiments measuring deformations of the blanket are carried out. Calculated results are in fair agreement with those of experiment.
