(BEIJING, September 17) -- The supportive trusses were removed successfully from the skeleton of the National Stadium at 11:10 am today.

The seven-step removal process took three days to complete. From 8 am on September 14 to 11:10 am on September 17, a total of 14,000 tons of steel was uninstalled.

156 jacks were placed in 78 specific spots, in the effort to remove steel from the outside, middle and inside circles. The pressure loads on the 78 jack spots varied from 120 tons to 320 tons. An automatic and simultaneous removal method was adopted, with the central processing unit of computers in control.

The National Stadium, the main stadium for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, is located on the north side of Beichen Bridge along the North 4th Ring Road. To date, its steel structure has already taken shape. The steel roof structure of the venue looks like two saddles, curved on both sides. The north-south structural height is 40 meters, while the east-west structural height is 69 meters. The axis span of the steel structure measures 333 meters from north to south and 298 meters from east to west.

The main structure of the National Stadium is made up of two parts, concrete on the inside and steel on the outside. The steel structure is composed of 24 columns of trusses which surround the bowl-shaped stands. Because all of the components of the steel structure support each other and form the shape of a net, the National Stadium is widely referred to as the "Bird's Nest."

The successful removal of the supportive trusses indicates that Chinese steel structure experts and builders have solved all difficulties in the construction of this venue. Work on the National Stadium has now entered a new stage, with sufficient time left for the membrane structure installation and decoration before the Games begin.