## 1 Introduction  
Metal-matrix composites based on aluminum and its alloy have been the subject of great scientific and practical interest over the last decades [1, 2]. The reason is the possibility to obtain lightweight metallic materials with unique properties (enhanced hardness, ductility, elastics modulus, and many others) by combining the advantages of constructional metals with the merits of filler materials. Metal-matrix composites based on aluminum and aluminum-metal-matrix composite alloys (AMMC) are promising for aerospace, military, automobile, and electronic areas because of their low density, high specific stiffness, strong wear resistance, reduced thermal expansion coefficient and high thermal conductivity [1, 2]. These materials sustain their stability characteristics over a wide temperature range, have high electrical and thermal conductivities, and low sensitivity to surface defects [3, 4, 5]. AMMCs are fabricated both by ex situ synthesis (e.g., liquid ingot casting and powder metallurgy), where reinforcement powder particles are added to the metal melt, and by in situ synthesis (e.g., exothermic dispersion, reactive hot pressing, reactive infiltration, and direct melt reaction), where particles are directly synthesized in the metal melt [6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12]. The reinforcement in AMMCs can have a form of continuous/discontinuous fibers, whiskers, or particulates. The most frequently applied fillers are ceramic ones such as alumina, silicon carbides or nitride, carbon fiber materials, or graphene [13; 14]. At present, researchers focus on the possibility of introducing the above-mentioned ceramic additives in the form of nanoparticles into the aluminum matrix. When moving to nanoscale hardeners, we have the opportunity to obtain an entirely new class of lightweight materials with increased specific strength, plasticity, and crack resistance. The mechanisms of deformation and fracture in aluminum-alumina composite materials reinforced by nanosized alumina particles can be fundamentally different from those in classical aluminum alloys. There are some problems arising in the synthesis of Al-Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composites: inhomogeneity of the distribution of oxide nanocrystals in the volume of the metal matrix; the tendency of nano-objects to agglomeration inside the matrix (1-3 \(\upmu\)m); low wettability of oxide particles by molten aluminum (lattice consistency of the reinforcing phase and aluminum), and degradation of oxide materials (chemical, mechanical, etc.). The mechanical addition of alumina particles into the metal melt by means of powder metallurgy [15; 16; 17] results in the interface pollution, poor wetting ability, and mechanical properties. The composites synthesized via the ex situ methods have high porosity and a lot of cracks. They are characterized by the appearance of \"soft\" and \"hard\" phases [17] because of the difference in aluminum particles' concentration and agglomeration [15]. Hence, the mechanical properties of composites produced by powder metallurgy methods can vary greatly. Selective laser melting can be used for the creation of advanced ball-milled Al-Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) nanocomposites with a two-fold increase in Vickers micro-hardness compared to the initial Al [18]. The mechanical properties of Al-nano Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) produced by ball-milling and hot-pressing under uniaxial pressure of 50 MPa were improved due to the utilization of nano-sized reinforcement particles [19]. To date, the compaction of several layers of aluminum foil and aluminum oxide powder, followed by rolling from 2 to 20 times, is another promising method of composite materials' fabrication [20; 21; 22]. As a result, layered laminated Al-Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite structures are formed. The uneven distribution of aluminum oxide particles in the aluminum matrix, as well as the significant agglomeration of oxide particles [21], are the main problems of the laminated composite production that cause the uneven properties of the composite.