In the paper the author shows that plastic deformations can be conside
red as a bifurcational instability of the atomic lattice. Thus, the pl
astic buckling of a compression bar is examined like a coupled instabi
lity between the general buckling by flexural and the local buckling b
y plastic deformations. The modified Hunt-Burgan model is studied and
an interaction relationship between the elastic buckling load and the
plastic collapse load is determined. Although this relationship is obt
ained in an elastic field, the form corresponds to the Ayrton-Perry re
lationship for plastic buckling, used by Maquoi and Rondal for the ana
lytical expressions of the ECCS buckling curves. However, one can see
that the general imperfections corresponding to Eulerian buckling and
local imperfection due to residual stresses have different effects, in
opposition to Maquoi-Rondal relationships. A new relationship for the
simple plastic buckling and coupled plastic buckling are proposed.